Break the Frozen Heart
by Kalkoenvsneoklak
Summary: Au based on the movie Frozen (with slight alterations). When the King sets off an eternal winter everywhere, it's up to Sam to bring back summer and his brother Dean. He gets help from two old childhood friends. Story contains Dean/Castiel, Sam/Ruby, Sam/Jessica
1. Prologue

So, I just noticed that the chapter was all messed up. I changed it as soon as I saw, and I hope it's better now? Sorry for the inconvenience.

* * *

**O**nce upon a time, in a faraway land between the mountains, there was a kingdom called Moondor, where the heroic king John Winchester and his wife queen Mary ruled. The kingdom was rich, and healthy. Everybody knew each other, there were no fights, and they were never involved in any war.

The king and queen had two sons. The youngest was Sam, a studious little boy who saw wonders in everything. The oldest was Dean, a kid as heroic as his father. The four of them were always happy; they spent every day together, never had any arguments, and were completely honest to each other.

When Dean was just born, it was on a cold January night while it was snowing so hard no-one was able to leave their home for a few days. Dean was very healthy, and his parents were so proud they presented them as soon as was possible. The whole kingdom was overjoyed to hear that they were blessed with a healthy new prince. What they didn't know, though, was that this little baby was born with a curse.

They first noticed his powers when he was a few months old, playing with a doll his mother gave him. One moment, the doll was brand new, but the next it was so frozen that Dean wasn't able to play with it anymore. While Dean grew older, he found joy in his powers, but his parents feared the curse, noticing that his ability grew stronger each time.

When Dean was four years old, he became a brother of little Sam. Once again, the kingdom celebrated the birth of the second prince, bringing presents to the castle, toys for the boys to play with, and decorations for their room – which they shared because Dean wanted that.

All in all, it was a good life in Moondor.

Outside the kingdom, there were all mountains, and higher up, there was always snow, no matter what season they were in. That's where the ice-choppers did their business. A group of men, about thirty of them, came there every day, travelling on their sleighs, all with their equipment. They were always dressed up warmly, and while they were harvesting ice, they often sang songs, told old tales, or combined the two. At first they did it because it kept them busy when they had to wait, but for a year now, the ice-choppers were accompanied by two little children; two orphans that loved ice so much they couldn't stay away.

One of the children was named Castiel. He had blue eyes and dark brown hair, and dreamed of nothing else but becoming an ice-chopper as well. He was seven years old and often wandered around in the land around the kingdom, only returning back to the orphanage at night.

With him travelled Jessica, a little four-year old who refused to depart from Castiel. She had long golden curls, and light blue eyes, and she was in no way related to the older kid. She was sweet, always laughed, but she was very emotional as well, easily startled.

Castiel and Jessica travelled by sleigh. It was a little one, barely able to carry them both, and pulled by a little Shetlander called Snowflake.

On a Thursday-evening, the ice-choppers were packing up early, whistling tunes, and excitedly talking to each other. Castiel was just pulling out his block of ice, but as it was heavier than he'd expected, he fell down on his back, seeing the ice sliding away. One of the adults passed by and noticed it, so he picked it up. Then he waved at the little boy as an indication that they were leaving. Castiel stands up immediately, slipping a little bit on the ice. A little further away, Jessica was giggling at seeing him struggle to get back on his feet. Castiel shot her a mocking face, which she found even funnier. Then the little boy walked to his little lantern, took it with him, and held out his hand for Jessica to hold. The little girl with her golden curls walked to him, making sure she didn't slip. When her hand was in his, the two kids walked back to their little sleigh. The man from earlier was already attaching Castiel's ice on the thing, which made the little boy feel very proud. Jessica sat down on the sleigh, holding on to the cargo they were going to carry, and Castiel held on behind the sleigh. The men weren't leaving just yet, still cleaning up their stuff.

"Why are we going already? The sun just disappeared?" Castiel asked, giving the man his big eyes. He was trying to remember his name, knowing it started with a D. Dave? Donald? It was a weird name. Deacon! That was is, Deacon! He had to be around twenty, and had dark brown hair, warm under a hat.

"Because the King and Queen are having a party to welcome people from another Kingdom, and they need the ice," Deacon said, smiling at the boy. "You want to see your little friend again, don't you? Why don't you come along then?"

And now Castiel was jumping up and doing, clapping his hands and smiling like crazy. He loved visiting the castle! There was so much to do there, so many people to talk to. And even better, his friend Dean was there!

The first time Castiel had been allowed to come to the castle too, he had been instructed not to touch anything and was forbidden to talk to anybody. The men didn't trust him back then; he was a little five-year-old that refused to leave. And while the men were discussing prizes with some old man that worked for the King, Castiel was standing on his assigned spot next to the door, quietly looking around, seeing the many decorations. He had liked the idea of living in a castle. So many spaces, things to discovers, so much place to invite friends over.

Then, from behind the door, a little voice asked for Castiel's attention, which he received. When the little orphan had turned around, he saw another kid, dressed in clothing that were probably very expensive. It had made Castiel look at his clothes, and he felt embarrassed immediately by how he looked.

"Do you want to come and play?" the boy had asked, and Castiel nodded without hesitation. Then he had shot a glance at the men who weren't looking. He made his escape, and ran away with the kid.

"I'm Dean," he had said, "and this is my room." Dean was pointing at the large space around him. The whole room was so large the whole orphanage would fit in it. After Castiel had introduced himself, and even bowed for the prince (Dean had hated that), they started playing hide and seek. It was after an hour that he heard the men calling out for him, and he knew he was in trouble. It was even worse when the one who found him was the King himself. But instead of being angry, the King had smiled at seeing his son playing. The men were angry at Castiel, but the King waved it off, saying that he was welcome anytime.

So yeah, right now Castiel was more than happy to go to the castle. He hadn't seen Dean in quite a while, and Jessica had never even been in that place. So when the men made their leave, Snowflake followed the others, all the way to the Kingdom. Jessica had fallen asleep by the time they entered the walls, and Castiel couldn't help but smile at that. She was so small, so vulnerable.

The streets of Moondor where still full of people. They were walking around, talking to each other, or heading home. Castiel saw no children around, so they were probably already inside.

The guards let them in easily, already knowing their business, and their sleighs came to a halt in front of the door. Castiel was lucky that the ground was covered in snow, or he had to walk to the castle with his block of ice.

The men knocked on the door, and they had to wait for a little bit until someone let them in. Castiel shook Jessica awake gently, trying not to startle her.

"Come Jess, we're going to see the two princes," Castiel said, and that made Jessica smile. She was up her feet in no time, and they left their sleigh as soon as the door was opened. When Castiel asked where Dean was, he was instructed to go to the garden. Castiel knew his way around here, so he took Jessica's hand again, and lead the way. They were running, giggling, and when they passed the Queen she smiled at them and waved. Castiel and Jessica stood still, turned around to her, and bowed at her presence. She only giggled, and put her long blonde curls back, kneeling down in front of them. She motioned them to come closer, and they did. Then she put a hand on their cheeks, looking at both of them with a very fond look.

"I'm glad you're here," she said, not removing the smile from her face. Her green eyes were not leaving Castiel's. "Dean has been asking when you'd return, and I'm glad you brought a friend along." Then she turned her gaze to Jessica. "I'm sure Sam will love playing with you," she said. Jessica giggled, and leaned in the touch on her cheek.

"Thank you Mrs. Queen," she said. The Queen smiled out her teeth again, and then stood.

"Now, go, go! I'll tell the men you are welcome to play as long as you want, I'll make sure you get home safely."

And that's when the two kids nodded, turned around, and started running again, on their way to play with their two friends.

Dean was so happy to see him. He tossed his arms around Castiel, and Castiel laughed out loud. Sam and Jessica were a little shy at first, but eventually they joined in building a snowman.

They played for an hour before the Queen came back to announce it was bedtime for the two Princes. Dean gave Castiel one last hug, which made the orphan feel all warm inside, and then they were escorted back to the orphanage.


	2. It's part of growing up

**D**ean had been sleeping soundly, but apparently, Sam didn't really care about that. The stars were up in the sky, the moon was illuminating all Moondor, and Sam seemed to get his energy in its light. The little kid was restless, tossing and turning, but eventually, it was no use. So he got out of bed, looked at the stars in this warm summer night for a while, and then turned to his brother.

Dean didn't respond at first, he ignored the little hands trying to get him awake. It was too early, the sun wasn't up, and Dean absolutely didn't like having his sleep disturbed. Of course, Sam probably knew that his older brother was unable to stay angry at him for too long.

"Come on, Dean, let's play!" Sam said, still shaking his older brother awake. Dean only grunted, pressed his face in the pillow, but smiled nonetheless.

"Sam, go back to sleep," Dean mumbled, throwing the sheets back over his face. It didn't help, as Sam then threw himself all over Dean, lying on his back, staring up. Then the little brother put his hand on his eyes.

"I can't! The sky's awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play!" he complained. Dean snorted, gave his brother a little push, and sighed.

"Go play by yourself," he answered, now pushing his brother off of him, and the four-year old fell down on the ground, and it was just his luck that the floor was carpeted. For a little while it was silent, and Dean thought his brother got back to sleep. But then he heard a deep inhalation, as if Sam only just realized something, and he stood back up. Dean felt his brother come closer, and his breath tickled in his ear when he whispered.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

* * *

Sam was overenthusiastic when he was pulling Dean by his hand. They were running down the stairs, and Sam couldn't stop making loud noises of happiness. Dean kept on shushing him, pressing his index finger against his lips to motion his brother to keep quiet. Or Sam didn't see it, or he didn't care, as he turned around when they were in the ball room. Sam faced his brother, and looked with an impatient expression.

"Come on! Do the magic!" he begged, as he held his hands together as if praying. Dean only smirked at his brother's goofiness, and reached out, not removing his eyes from his brother. His fingers were already curling as I holding an apple or something, and his heart rate was slowly building up as the excitement came up to him as well.

"You ready?" he asked, and Sam nodded, and then Dean bit his lower lip as he felt the cold go to his fingers. He wasn't bothered with it, it didn't hurt. Temperature was always something that gave no problems to him. He was never cold, nor hot. Sam on the other hand didn't have that advantage, so he was wearing his gloves and snow boots (Dean made him wear them, because Sam was a very stubborn kid).

When the first snowflake appeared, it was glowing, lighting up their faces. When Dean looked up at his brother, he saw the expression he was wearing, and it made him feel special, happy. He made his brother happy with just a little bit of it wasn't the first time Dean showed his ice powers to his brother, Sam reacted like it every time. His eyes went wide, his mouth fell open, and that surprised sound that came out of his mouth could have fooled him.

It didn't take long for the whole place to be covered in snow. Sam was already rolling in it, making snow angels, throwing snow in the air. He was like a typical child in the snow, the happiest kid in the world.

Together they made a snowman, or more; Dean made the snowman while Sam told him what he had to look like. It was a long snowman, like a grown-up. He was skinny, had a long nose (even though they still used their smallest carrot for it), but he had a friendly smile. Dean smirked when he took the snowman in. With his powers, he made his arms move, and Sam clapped in his hands as Dean pretended to speak like it.

"Hello, I'm Garth and I love warm hugs!" he said with a funny voice, and Sam giggled.

"Oh, silly Garth!" Sam squealed as he ran to the snowman and put his arms around him. Dean only smiled at the sight.

But the fun couldn't last. Of course it didn't. Sam was still younger than Dean, and he didn't quite understand that stop meant stop. So when Dean made a little hill, and Sam jumped from it, Dean made another one; a higher one. It kept on building, so high that the drop could actually hurt him. Sam was jumping faster and faster, and Dean had trouble keeping up.

"Sam, stop it!" he yelled at him, but in his excitement, Sam didn't hear it. Or he was stubborn again. He took another jump, and Dean panicked. He had to turn to aim, slipped on the ice, and his shot accidentally hit his brother in the head. Sam's eyes closed, and Dean saw him fall in the deep snow. For a few seconds, Dean just stared, in shock of what had just happened. He hurt his brother, he couldn't protect him. Sam was hurt, because of him.

Dean stood up, and ran to where Sam was buried in the snow. He used his magic to make it disappear, leaving Seam on the ice, lying on his side. Dean made a panicked noise, hurried next to his brother, and held him in his hands. He felt how cold Sam was; colder than was healthy. His eyes were filling with tears.

"Oh, no, Sammy," he sobbed. Then he saw a lock of hair becoming lighter, as if the ice was pulling out the color. "Mommy! Daddy!" he yelled loudly, hoping that his parents were still awake. He held Sam in his hands, trying to warm him up, but it didn't help. His own hands were colder than ever, and the floor around him froze up from the fear he felt. The beauty of the snow disappeared, and now it became scary. Dean didn't notice though, he had his head pressed against Sam's, muttering words to him, hoping he would hear it.

When his parents entered the room, the first thing they noticed was the ice surrounding them. It was freezing even though it was a hot summer night. Dean saw that they were still dressed in their everyday clothes, so they weren't asleep yet. It was his mother that noticed him first, her hands reaching for her mouth as she grasped. She grabbed her dress of the floor, and runs towards her two sons. Dean's father followed her, eyes wide.

"Dean, what have you done?" he asked, and now Dean was truly crying. He saw his mother grabbing for Sam.

"It was an accident, I'm sorry Sammy!" Dean pleaded, pressing his face in his hands. His mom held Sam in her arms, feeling his face, and pulled her hand back immediately.

"He's ice cold," she said, looking the King. His dad frowned, and now Dean looked back up, hopeful that his father knew the answer, knew somebody who'd help his little brother.

"I think I know someone who could help," he said as he stood up. The Queen and Dean both followed him to the library. The King asked Dean to light up some candles, and the little boy picked up some matches. They didn't catch fire because his hands were too cold, so his dad had to do it himself. He wasn't angry at Dean, probably disappointed or something. But Dean would get his speech the moment Sam was healed.

When the room was lid up enough, his dad went back to the bookcase. Dean didn't know how he was hoping to find the book he was looking for, as the library was immense. He saw his father mutter a few words as he pressed his fingers on the backs, reading title after title.

It was when he found a history book of Moondor that he pulled the book out, immediately searching through it. His eyes went from left to right as he read, and Dean had never seen him looking so scared.

"Yes, I have it," he said, but before Dean or the Queen could ask what he found, he was already running out in the direction of the stables. Dean and his mother followed him, careful not to hurt Sam who was still unconscious.

Dean sat behind his dad on the tall horse, and the Queen rode the smaller horse, with Sam still in her arms. Dean held on to his father for a little while, but had to let go when his hands froze the King's clothes. Now he grabbed the saddle, trying his best to control his powers. But he was too scared; it just came out of him. All his control he had before was now gone. When Dean saw a few figures at the side of the road they were following, he recognized Cas and Jess. Oh, what he would do to have their comfort right now. But they couldn't stop. So when they passed the two – probably heading back to the orphanage – Dean looked back, seeing Cas staring at him in confusion. But, as soon as Dean had turned, he saw the trail of ice he was leaving behind. And he saw that Cas saw it too, so now his secret probably came out.

When the two orphans were out of view, Dean pressed his head against the back of his father, once again grabbing on to his clothes, and silently crying. The King reached behind him, and touched his head in a comforting way for a little while before holding the reins again.

It seemed to take an eternity until they reached this mysterious spot. They arrived at a swamp full of round rocks. Dean was too afraid to ask for what his father was planning, but his mother did it for him.

"John, what is this?" she asked, but the King didn't answer. He held his wife's hand, pulled Dean closer to him, and looked around.

"Please, I need your help. It's about my son," he pleaded, and Dean and his mother now looked at each other in confusion. The swamp was empty, there was nobody there except for them. Dean didn't understand who he was talking to. His eyes glided all over the area. They were surrounded by those strange round rocks,

But then those rocks made a minimal movement. It was so small Dean almost didn't notice it, but when they started rolling closer to them, it became clear. Dean pressed closer to his father, and felt a comforting hand on his head.

"Your majesty," Dean suddenly heard, and he removed his face from his father's leg where he had been pressing it in to. Close to his feet he saw a strange grey creature. It seemed old and it was round, and smaller than Dean. The young prince recognized it as a troll, remembering a few stories about them. Around them, the rocks had changed into those creatures as well, and they were surrounded by them, all their eyes scared and sad. The troll came closer to him, and took Dean's hand in his own. "Born with the powers? Or cursed?" he asked, black eyes full of worry.

"Born, and they're getting stronger," the King said, squeezing his son's shoulder. Then the troll moved from Dean to Sam, and took a short look at him.

"You were lucky it wasn't his heart; the heart is not so easily changed," he said. "But the head can be convinced." After that he walked closer. The queen dropped to her knees so the troll was on the same height as Sam, and the creature reached with his hand.

"I suggest we remove all magic, even memories of magic," he said, removing his hand from Sam's head and reaching it in the air. A blue glow followed every movement he made, and Dean was staring. "But don't worry, I'll keep the fun." At that, the troll smiled a little bit, and Dean was trying to imagine how Sam's memories would be altered now. They wouldn't be ice-skating in the castle but on a lake. The snowman they build wouldn't be in the ballroom but on a snowfield.

When the troll put his hand on Sam's head again, the little kid was smiling again – not much, but still enough to see it. The Queen softened her hold a little bit, and Dean could see the color coming back on his brother's face.

"He'll be all right now," the troll said, looking at the family in front of him.

"So he won't remember I have powers?" Dean asked. The troll motioned for him to follow him, and Dean did. His parents stayed with Sam while Dean joined the troll a little further.

"Listen closely Dean. Your powers are getting stronger by the minute," he said, and he put his hands in the air again. There were colors decorating the air around them, and Dean saw figures forming. "There's beauty in it." And now he saw the shadow of a man creating snow all around him. "But it will bring great danger if not controlled. Fear will be your enemy."

And now the blue colors all turned red, and Dean saw the shadow that probably represented himself getting ambushed. His heart made a jump, and he ran back to his father, grabbing his cape and holding on to it. The King put his hand back on Dean's shoulder.

"No, he can control it, I'm sure of it," he said in a strong voice. "Until then, close the gate, reduce the staff. There will be minimal contact with the outside world."

The Queen shot him a worried glance, and Dean felt every inch of courage he had left sink down his shoes. That would mean he wouldn't be able to play with Castiel and Jessica much from now on.

"Dean's powers will be hidden from everyone," the King continued, now with his eyes on his son, giving him an apologetic look, "including Sam."

* * *

That night Sam kept on sleeping, and Dean had stayed awake, worrying sick. His sheets were completely frozen when he woke up, and the servants had to change them before Sam woke up. When he did, he didn't remember anything of that night, as suspected. He was cheerful, enthusiastic about everything, and to make it worse, he wanted to play.

It was only when he heard the gates were closed that that smile on his face disappeared. He kept on asking the King why they did that. Why half of the staff had to go, and when one day later Dean had moved out of their room, their father finally ordered Sam to stop asking questions. So from then on, Dean kept in his room most of the time, and Sam had to wander the halls all alone with no friends to play with.

The King allowed Castiel and Jessica to come play once every two months, but somehow it wasn't the same anymore. Dean wasn't acting like himself. He almost didn't talk to Castiel. He was mostly sitting on a chair watching them play games like tag or hide and seek, and when Castiel had begged him to play as well, Dean had run away angry, leaving the three kids staring at him running away.

After a year, the orphanage didn't allow Castiel and Jessica to come anymore. Sam received books and stuff to paint, but soon enough he got bored of it.

Every winter, Sam would stare out of the window, waiting for it to snow. And when it did, he immediately ran to his brother's door, knocking five times before waiting for an answer.

"Dean?" he asked, but there came no answer. "Do you want to build a snowman?" Still, Dean didn't respond. Sam lowered his shoulders and looked at the ceiling. "Come on, let's go and play!"

The only times Sam saw his brother was when they had dinner. Other than that, he just had to be lucky sometimes to find him wandering around. Dean was quiet now, only spoke when asked a question. They practically never saw each other anymore, so I he would just open that door everything would be great again. But no, Dean never did.

"Come on, Dean! We used to be best buddies," Sam pleaded. Now they weren't anymore, and he wished Dean would just tell him why. He really wanted to build a snow man. "It doesn't have to be a snow_man_," he then tried.

"Go away Sam," Dean answered, and Sam now looked at his feet, lowering his shoulders and sighing.

"Okay, bye," he said, walking away slowly, still hoping that Dean would just come out and say 'Just kidding!' or something. Everything was better than this.

Meanwhile at the other side of the door, Dean had noticed the snow as well, and was looking outside. It was nice to see it falling from the sky, for once not created by him.

Then he dropped his gaze on the village, more closely the orphanage, where he saw to tiny kids walking around, preparing a sleigh. They seemed to be putting bags on it, and it made Dean frown. Were they finally adopted? Would Castiel and Jessica leave, and never come back? Even though he hadn't spoken to his friend for a while, he felt fear at that thought. His hands were grabbing the wood on the window, and when he looked down, he saw the ice surrounding his fingers. Immediately, he pulled his hands back.

When he told this to his father, the man nodded, and the next day he brought Dean dark blue gloves, saying they would help.

"Conceal, don't feel," the King said. And the next part, Dean could add as well. "Don't let it show," they both said, and Dean tried to give his father a small smile, but he knew it wasn't convincing. The King closed his eyes for a while, but eventually pulled his son in a small hug before leaving the room again.

Sometimes, Dean would hear knocks on his door, but while Sam always announced he was there, this person didn't say anything. The first time that happened, Dean got curious so he opened, finding his good friend Castiel in front of him. As it appeared, the boy didn't live at the orphanage anymore, but he never explained where he and Jessica stayed now.

Castiel didn't want to play, but only came for the company. He never mentioned what he had seen that night in the forest, and didn't act different around his friend. Mostly, they were sitting on the bed; Dean making his homework and Castiel reading books or making drawings of snow. With Castiel, Dean felt a little bit at ease, but he was still cautious, hoping he would be able to control it.

Castiel's visits weren't regular. There were months when he didn't come at all, and then he would show up day after day. And every time minimal conversations were made.

When Dean turned eleven and Sam seven, the younger boy was still knocking on Dean's door, claiming that company was overdue and that he started talking to pictures on the wall. Dean laughed a little bit at that last part, but when he did, the ice escaped from his hands, and soon his whole wall was covered with it. He made fists with his hands, and let his mouth drop open. When he called for his parents, they looked at what he did. His mother had put her hands on her mouth, and gasped in fear. His father was only trying to talk to him.

"I can't control it, dad! It's getting stronger!" Dean yelled as he watched at his hands in disgust. The King tried to approach him and calm him down, Dean didn't notice.

"Fear only makes it worse," the King said, and when his hands touched Dean's, the boy pulled back, his hands now pressed against him to keep them away from his parents.

"Don't touch me! I don't want to hurt you," he pleaded, and at that, the queen walked to her husband and held on to his shoulder. They looked at each other with a sad face, sighing loudly and eventually leaving.

There were a few incidents in the castle, in example one where Sam fell of his bike while trying to go down the stairs with it – crazy kid, Dean thought. He had broken his arm and was complaining all the time, repeatedly saying he was bored. Dean thought of taking one exception and go outside now, but as soon as he held on his doorknob, it froze. So he stayed inside, and tried to block out his brother's pleas.

The next time Castiel came over after that incident, he noticed how distant Dean was. Well, more distant than normal. He tried talking to him, but Dean only cut him off, snapping at every question he was asked, and eventually asking his friend to leave. Shaking his head, Castiel left, not saying anything but openly disappointed in how this conversation ended up.

After that, Castiel didn't ask, but pulled out a chess board – he had asked the King and Queen if they had one. He taught Dean how to play, and it kept them busy for a little while. In that time, Dean hadn't been thinking of controlling the ice. All he was thinking of was how much fun he was having with Castiel.

One day, Dean was just too curious as to why Castiel kept on coming when they weren't talking or anything. He just asked, and Castiel had stared at him, his blue eyes watching Dean as if he was trying to see his soul.

"The very same reason you never asked me not to come back," Castiel had said, leaving Dean in a bigger mystery than before.

When Dean was fifteen and Sam eleven, the tradition on knocking on the door every time the kid passed had stopped, and now Sam just walked by, sometimes looking at his brother's room, but other than that not trying to initiate contact.

Sam socialized with the staff, learned self-defense, and did horseback riding in the garden. He was still bored out of his mind, but now he knew there was no way to get Dean to get out of his room.

The garden was gigantic, and he had asked to put some jumping tracks, because if there was nothing to do, at least he could learn how to master jumping with horses.

Dean, now entirely in his teenage years, had grown a little bit confident. He managed to control his powers a little bit, still feeling colder than usual but not spontaneously icing everything he saw. He got out of his room more often, and sometimes even got outside to watch his brother. When Sam noticed him, he only waved, but made no indication to join him, to Dean's relief. He was maybe able to keep the powers in, but that was when he was doing nothing. Spending time with Sam, keeping busy doing something, well, he could lose whatever grip he had on the ice, and he would slip.

When Castiel kissed Dean for the first time, it was a Thursday evening in spring, a little after Sam's birthday. He came into the room as soon as Dean opened the door, marched inside with his hands in his hair and face red, and when Dean asked what was wrong he had simply pressed his lips on Dean's.

It took every bit of control to keep the ice inside, and he was surprised (and secretly proud of himself) that he succeeded. He returned the kiss, and they continued for a few more minutes before Castiel pulled back, sat down on the bed again, and took out a book. Dean was confused, but didn't really dare to ask about it. They kissed, it happened. He ignored the fact that it was wrong, that they were both boys. If people would call whatever happened there not normal, well, they'd had to accept it because after all, Dean wasn't normal either.

For a year, all they did was kiss; when Castiel walked in, and before he left. Dean had his head in the clouds, daydreaming most of the time, and smiling again after so long. He even spent time with Sam again for a little while. His parents noticed the change, and one day at dinner, his father would lean closer to his mother and whisper something in her ear. Dean heard it anyway.

"I knew he could do it," he had said, and the Queen had smiled and nodded.

But of course, it couldn't last. After a while, both Dean and Castiel wanted more. Castiel had walked in Dean's room; agitated because he was almost caught trying to sneak in – Dean never really knew how he did it anyway. Dean tried to calm him down, stroke over his arms gently, and after that they kissed again. They had talked about this, about taking the next step, but Dean had always been too afraid to do it. Now, he had managed to control his powers for a year. No more accidents, no unwanted ice, and he knew he was ready. So they just did it, made quick work in removing each other's clothes, and then Dean would lie on top of Castiel, both so close that every piece of their body was touching the other.

It was when Dean moved inside Cas that the first sign of fear came back. If he would slip, lose grip, he could seriously hurt Cas. He could freeze him, shoot him like he did with Sam. Without realizing it, he got scared. His heartbeat had already been beating fast, but now it seemed to be jumping out of his chest. He was shaking. His hands gripped tight on Castiel's shoulders and the boy gasped in surprise, opening his eyes and looking at Dean in surprise. Dean kept on moving, but it was unsteady, as if he didn't really know what he was doing.

"Dean, what's wrong?" he had asked, and at that, Dean looked up, staring deep in Castiel's eyes. They were so blue, as if they represented the beauty of winter. And as soon as Dean thought of winter, he thought of snow, the snow he hit Sam with all those years ago, almost killing him in the process.

It was then that whatever control Dean had on the ice slipped away, and the prince saw the orphan's face twitch in pain, baring his teeth and groaning. Dean didn't really understand what was happening at first, but as soon as he looked at his hands, Castiel's skin turning purple from the cold, Dean jumped off him, getting back on his feet and making fists again. He pressed his hands close to himself, and sat down on the ground, practically hyperventilating. Around him the sheets were draped, and he held them tightly, trying to hide from Castiel.

"Dean, what happened?" Castiel asked, getting out of the bed and pulling his pants back on. He walked back to Dean, but the Prince shook his head, and crawled closed to the wall.

"You need to go Cas, you're not safe here," Dean pleaded. Castiel tilted his head, showing he didn't understand. He tried to reach him with his hands, but Dean stood up, and walked back to the bed. His face was scared, his was literally shaking, and _why didn't Castiel understand he had to leave_?

"Dean, please," Castiel begged, but Dean shook his head hard. "It didn't hurt that bad, it just took me by surprise!"

But Dean saw how Castiel's whole body had been hurt. His arms were still blue, and he had seen his legs as well before he put his pants back on. Dean hurt Castiel badly, but the teenager just didn't want to admit it. Why didn't he? Dean was dangerous. In his panic, the floor froze as well, a pattern of ice surrounding him, and creeping up the walls until they got to the ceiling. Dean had been drifting off with his thoughts so when Castiel touched his arm, Dean got out of his shock and he felt a wave of anger.

"GO AWAY!" Dean yelled, shaking Castiel off of him and shooting a train of ice where his hands went. Castiel took a few steps back, stared at Dean for a little more, and then sighed loudly as he took his clothes and ran to the door.

"Dean please, don't end this," Castiel whispered while he was holding his hand on the doorknob.

Dean looked up again, and saw the pain on Castiel's face; not from the ice, but for pushing him away. But Dean saw no other solution. He had to end it with Cas.

"Don't come back," he said with an unsteady and trembling voice. Castiel's eyes were red from tears that were building up, and before they could fall, he turned away and walked into the hallway, back on his way out.

When his parents got in the room, waken up from the screaming, they were surprised of the state of Dean's room, looking around before noticing the teenager on the bed, curled up and hands on his legs, still breathing a little bit too fast. He didn't look up when the two sat down next to him. They didn't say anything, but their company was enough for him.

* * *

Castiel didn't come anymore. There were no more sneak-ins, no signs that he was still around. Dean didn't see him wander around in the Kingdom anymore, and though it made his heart break, he knew it was for the best.

The following year was hard. Between grieving his break-up with Castiel and controlling his powers, he lost control more often that he stayed away in his bedroom most of the time again. Whatever time he had spent hanging out with Sam had passed, and now he didn't linger at dinner, but ate and went back outside.

Sam had yelled at him once; told him Dean didn't have to keep his feelings to himself, that he could share whatever was bothering him so they would figure it out together. But Dean never reacted to it. He had to protect his little brother. He couldn't hurt him. Not again.

When Dean turned eighteen, his parents revealed that they had to leave for a week, visiting another kingdom for political reasons or something. Sam had been neutral about it, accepted his mother's farewell-hug before they left, but Dean just stood at the door, bowing and pulling back when his mother reached out for him.

"You really have to go?" he asked. He hated that his family had to go away, even if it only was for a week. Anything could happen by then both here as with them.

"You'll be fine, Dean," his dad had said, and both his parents had smiled weakly, trying to reassure them. Dean sighed, bowed again, and then they were on their way out.

Of course he didn't know that was the last time he ever saw them again.

That night, a terrible storm came up, and the waves rocked the boat. The King and Queen, along with everybody else on the ship, did not survive, leaving the two princes alone in the large castle now.

A black veil was put in front of the King and Queen's portrait, and everybody was mourning. A funeral was held, and it had felt like the whole kingdom was there. Between the two tombstones there stood a teenager, dressed up in black and head lowered, eyes staring at his feet. The younger prince was not accompanied by his brother, so when Sam got back home, the first thing he did was knock on his brother's door.

"Dean, please, I know you're in there," he said with a soft voice, but loud enough for Dean to hear. He was at the point of crying, so he tried to make his point quickly. "People are asking where you've been.'

More silence and Sam sighed, leaning back on the door, staring out the window in the hallway.

"They tell us to have courage, Dean, and I'm really, really trying, but I just don't hear from you," Sam continued, closing his eyes again before the tears would fall. "Please Dean, just let me in."

It was only them now, all they had was each other, and Sam couldn't do it without Dean. They would figure things out together, but how? How were they supposed to get over this? Their parents where dead, sunk in the ocean. They would never return. The castle would be so big now. The many white walls would feel dull and the furniture would carry so many memories. One bedroom would always be empty.

"What are we going to do?" he whispered now, sitting down, back pressed against the door, head thrown back, and eyes at the ceiling, tears now rolling out of his eyes freely. How things were easier before, when they would just build snowmen whenever Sam asked. They would play, tell each other scary stories, and laugh together.

But Dean shut him out. Dean kept his feelings for himself, and now he was so emotional that all the things that bothered him were coming out. And Dean was too proud to even cry about it – because Dean never showed he was feeling something. He would always crack bad jokes, smiling softly before continuing whatever he was doing. No, Dean grieved by himself, despite Sam's need to have him around now.

And while Sam was sitting at Dean's door, at the other side of it, Dean sat there too, curled up, face pressed on his legs, and silently sobbing. The whole room was covered with ice. Not only was he afraid because of his powers, but he was heartbroken too. Because everybody he ever cared of died or got hurt because of him.

And Dean never felt more alone in his life.


	3. At first sight

**_Three years later_**

**C**astiel and Jessica entered the Kingdom of Moondor a while after sunrise, their chariot filled with the deliveries they had to bring over. Jessica hadn't been in the Kingdom for a while now. She's all grown up, normal height, and her blond curls now very long and often braided together. Right now she wasn't wearing her work clothes, so she was in a casual dress, something one would wear on a lazy Sunday. Castiel was only wearing a loose shirt, rolled up on the elbows. He looked rather tired, and if he had to be very honest, he wasn't looking forward to this day. At all.

Castiel wisely stayed away from the castle ever since that night. He never spoke of it to anyone and even Jessica was unaware that he used to sneak in the castle at night. When she grew older, she didn't follow him around anymore, and as soon as she was able to harvest ice herself, she joined the others, making her very busy. That made it easy for Castiel to sneak away; she never noticed.

Now, parking the chariot in front of the gates, Castiel looked up at the building on front of him. It had always been large, but now that he knew only the two Princes lived there, it seemed like the space within was endless.

When Jessica and Castiel heard about the death of the King and Queen, they grieved as well, attending the funeral in the back where there was no way for Sam to see them – not that the Prince would have recognized them as he'd never seen them after the King sent the two orphans away.

Jessica took out a carrot from the bag she brought along, and broke the vegetable in two, handing Castiel the other part. The man took it with a smile on his lips, thanked his friend and then ate the piece.

"Aren't you excited?" Jessica asked while chewing on her carrot. She was eyeing every person that passed by, and a little child waved at her. Jessica smiled brightly and waved back. "Dean is becoming a King! It's amazing!"

Castiel didn't answer, but just stared into the nothingness, thinking about his life. He only got out of his head when Jessica shook him, rolling her eyes when she got his attention and sighing loudly.

"Really, I don't know what's up with you, Cas," she said while getting back on the chariot to unload the cargo they brought along. Of course, Jessica had been too young to really remember playing with Sam and Dean. She never came back after the orphanage kept them away, and after a while she didn't ask for them anymore. Now as she was older, she probably thought of it as a dream or something. Every girl dreamt it; being a princess, playing in a big castle, finding a dream Prince.

"Just guess it's not my day, really," Castiel answered shortly, taking over the block of ice Jessica passes over, and walking to the place they'd been sent to all those years back. The guards recognized them and let them through without a problem. And while Castiel was transporting the ice, Jessica kept on talking. About what, Castiel didn't know.

It was such a deep sleep. One of those that made you wish you didn't have to wake up because it was so peaceful and quiet. It also meant that there would be drool on the pillow, and hair standing up right as Sam woke up. He didn't know what got him out of his sleep, but all of the sudden is was awake, aware that he was in his room, it was sunny, and it was early. He yawned loudly, stretched out his arms, and scratched his cheeks, feeling the stubble that was already coming since his last shave two days ago.

The first thing he did was pick up the book one off the servants brought him yesterday to read it again. Sam loved reading – especially when there was nothing else much to do around here. It's not like his brother was social, and he couldn't meet new people in the village.

When the first knock came, Sam looked up, a little bit startled.

"Who is it?" he asked, and the person at the other side laughed a little bit.

"It's me boy," the person said, and Sam recognized Missouri, the friendly housemaid.

"What's wrong?" he asked, because no-one ever knocked on his door. They all knew the exact time Sam got down for breakfast, and according to the shadows he still had an hour.

"Sam Winchester, don't tell me you forgot about Dean's coronation today!" the woman chastised him, probably pulling out a finger and pointing at him with an angry face. And now Sam remembered that today Dean would become the King of Moondor. Today they would finally have a ruler again, which was actually really amazing!

"No! Of course not, Missouri!" Sam yelled, standing up from his bed, and reaching to his closet. The staff had prepared his outfit for the day, which sounded really strange now he thought of it. He was old enough to choose his own clothing now, wasn't he? But then again he understood that they wanted him to be dressed up in his best clothes for the coronation.

As soon as he was presentable, he opened the door, gave Missouri a small kiss on the cheek – she was like a second mother to him – and made his way through the castle to get breakfast. Today was the first time since what felt like forever that he got to be outside, and he loved the idea of finally walking through the village, see the people he always wanted to meet. He had felt lonely for so long, no-one to talk to except for the staff. He wanted to get to know new people, meet a girl, fall in love. Because of the closed up gates he never had a chance, but today, today he could finally do it.

Of course it was wishful thinking that he would meet the girl of his dreams today, because one day just wasn't enough. But hey, it was better than never going outside ever. And if he met someone, imagine how his life could change!

As soon as his mouth was filled with breakfast, he waved off the cook, leaving the large and empty dinner room, heading to the gates. The guards were still on their post, and straightened up when they saw him come closer.

"Your majesty," they said, bowing. Sam waved them off, hating it whenever anybody bowed down for him. He might be a Prince, but he was a normal human as well.

"When do the gates open?" Sam asked, smiling a toothy grin. One of the guards laughed, but the other kept his face serious, afraid to offend him.

"As soon as Prince Dean orders to open them, sir," he said. Sam nodded, but kept standing there. The guard shot him a questioning look. "Is there a problem, sir?"

"Just waiting for my brother's orders," he said. He couldn't believe how exited he was to go outside. He wanted to jump up and down, clap his hands and scream it out of joy. Of course, that was not what a Prince would do, so he kept calm, quiet.

* * *

In the castle, up in Dean's room, the Prince was brooding, wandering around. His eyes were sealed on his hands, covered with his gloves. The tailor had made him an outfit that would fit the gloves, so they would not stand out with the rest, but Dean couldn't care less. He wished they didn't make such a big deal out of this coronation. The party wasn't his idea – he wanted a small ceremony with the staff, maybe a few Kings and Queens from other kingdoms, and then to send everybody home. Opening the gates was only happening because Sam had begged the staff their ears off. He remembered how they had come up to him to notify the gates would open, that the whole village was going to celebrate the King's coronation. Dean had been angry at both his staff and his brother for arranging this behind his back, and when he tried to reverse this plan, the invitations to the Kingdom had already been sent. By cancelling this, he would have made a bad first impression as King of Moondor, so he kept his mouth shut for the rest, and allowed the staff to continue planning as they pleased. That included wearing that ridiculous dark blue cape.

This was going to be a disaster, he thought as he stared at his father's portrait of his own coronation. He had been so young then, but still older than Dean was now. The staff had said it a few months earlier; Dean would be the youngest King of Moondor ever, only 22 years old.

Dean took off his gloves – because that was required during the ceremony – and took hold of two artifacts that looked a little bit like the ones he had to hold during the coronation. For a while he succeeded in holding them without freezing them, but as soon as his eyes shot a look outside, he lost control. The ice covered both the candle and the music-box, and Dean quickly put them back on the desk. His heart was beating so fast he thought it would jump out. He wasn't ready, he would never be ready, but it was time. Many people were now standing in front of the gates, waiting to come inside, where Sam was waiting with two guards to go outside.

Now or never, Dean thought, and he sighed, cursing this day every minute more. He walked to the door, opened it, and saw two more guards further away. They noticed him immediately, and waited for orders.

"Open up the gates," Dean said with a trembling but strong low voice. The guards nodded, and turned away spreading the word to the others. A deep breath went over Dean's lips, and he shook his head a little bit as he walked over to the library. There was a balcony there where he could have a better view of the plaza that would soon be filled with people.

Once he was on the balcony, he saw his brother go through the gates as soon as they were open, practically running over the people trying to go in. Some startled, others waived at him. It made Dean laugh a little bit at how dorky his little brother was, even though he was eighteen years old.

When he looked a little further, at the delivery post, he saw a chariot he recognized immediately. Two people were carrying things off and brought them inside, one a woman with a long blonde braid and a brown dress, and the other a man with brown hair that was probably messy as it was always. Dean couldn't hold back a smile when the girl – he knew it was Jessica – slapped him on the arm before Castiel took her in his arms and knuckled her head, making her squirm away from his hold and slapping him again. Their laughter was even audible up there.

It was Jessica that noticed him first, standing still and looking at him. Dean saw Castiel reaching to her, putting his hand on her shoulder, and when Jessica said something, the man's head turned to him as well.

When they looked at each other, it seemed like the whole world around them was disappearing again. Dean hadn't seen Castiel since he was seventeen, and the man had grown. He didn't seem so skinny anymore, but more muscular. Of course, it was difficult to see from up there.

Dean didn't know how long they looked at each other, but when he noticed they were staring, he shook his head, and turned around. This was wrong, and he shouldn't.

He walked back inside, looking back at his father's portrait, and taking another deep breath. It was time to go downstairs and face the day.

* * *

Sam had shaken hands with so many people; elders who knew who he was, adults who had no clue, and children that even got scared of this tall person coming up to them, eager to meet everybody that got in his way.

He began a conversation with a woman with her grandchildren, recognized Uncle Bobby walking to the Castle and pulled him in a strong hug. Seeing the village was amazing, all those houses he'd only seen from far were much larger now that he stood in front of them. He finally got the smell the scent of the forest; hear the water flow at a little lake; chase ducks (because honestly, one never grew too old to do that)… It was amazing, and Sam never wanted it to end.

When he made his way to the docks to see the boats, he took large steps, closing his eyes and feeling the breeze of the beach on his face. It was no surprise that, while he thought nothing could get in his way to the boats, of course something did. Sam bumped in on something hard, lost his ground, and fell down right in a little rowboat, luckily still attached to the dock. His long legs were hanging out of the boat, and he had to admit he wasn't lying very comfortable in it.

"Oh no! I'm _so_ sorry! Are you alright?" a woman asked, and Sam looked up, seeing a girl on her horse, wearing a red dress. She had brown hair put up in braids, and her face was looking rather worried. Sam tried to imagine her smiling, because that had to be beautiful.

"Eh, I'm all right," he said, trying to stand up without rocking the boat too much. The girl got off her horse, got in the boat to help him stand, and now Sam could see her properly. She _was_ beautiful when she was smiling, and her brown eyes twinkled a little bit in the sunlight. They were looking at each other for a little while, until the girl suddenly shook her head quickly, took hold of her dress and bowed properly.

"I'm Princess Ruby, of Helleth's Gates," she said, then looking up again. Sam answered her bowing the same way.

"Prince Samuel of Moondor," he responded.

"Oh no!" she repeated, "your Majesty," and now she kneeled down. The movement was so sudden that the boat rocked, and the two fell down, Ruby lying on top of Sam, and both their faces flushed red of shame. They quickly tried to untangle themselves, but when they stood again, a wave hit the boat, making it rock once more. This time, Sam fell on Ruby, and now the two were actually laughing.

"Well, this is awkward," Sam said, trying to get back on his feet again. Now he wisely stepped out of the boat, holding out his hand for Ruby to take. The Princess complied, and now both were on steady ground. Ruby took the reins of her horse again before it ran off completely.

"I'm sorry for hitting your Highness with my horse, and… every moment after," she said, lowering her head and looking actually really ashamed. Sam snorted, which must have been a strange reaction for the Princess.

"No, I'm not that Prince," he said, straightening his shirt again, and checking if his hair was still in the ponytail he had been made to wear. "If you'd hit my brother Dean, then it would have been less funny," he added. Ruby tilted her head a little bit and smiled, baring her teeth. "Lucky for you it's just me."

"_Just_ you?" she asked, frowning a little bit. Now Sam sighed loudly while staring in her eyes. She was so beautiful, like, the most beautiful woman he'd ever met – which wasn't hard actually.

When he heard the bells of the church, he looked up, noticing the sun high in the sky. It was noon, and he had to go or he would be late for the coronation.

"I have to… yeah, I'm gonna be late, so… eh, bye!" he said, waving Ruby off and turning around, back to the castle.

* * *

The church was full of people Dean didn't know. Of course, he recognized Uncle Bobby in the front row, and Aunt Ellen and Cousin Jo were sitting next to him, the three of them smiling proudly at him. There was also this unknown girl Sam was waving off in the third row, wearing a red dress. She stood out between the mass of people wearing soft colors. Hers was intense, and it was difficult not to notice her.

A choir was singing above them, bringing a soft melody that filled everybody's ears. If Dean hadn't been so nervous, he would've probably rolled his eyes, because he didn't really care about all this stuff. Yeah, he was going to be a serious King, but all this show seemed unnecessary for him.

Dean had to talk the man as he asked him questions, answering with "I am willing," or "I will," as if he was actually getting married. And then at that thought, he got a little bit sad because he was sure he would never even get a chance of becoming someone's husband.

When the archbishop stopped asking questions, Dean had to kneel down on the steps, in front of the altar, and a bible was held in front of him. He knew – thanks to Missouri – that he was supposed to put his right hand on the book. Dean gulped, removed his gloves, and did as he was expected.

"The things which I have here promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God," Dean said, knowing what he and Missouri rehearsed. This was how his father's coronation had gone as well, and that had been a success.

Dean removed his right hand from the book, put his glove back on, and looked up, seeing the archbishop holding out a crown especially made for him by the best craftsman in the Kingdom. Dean hadn't cared about the crown, as he would probably never really wear it – his father didn't – but the people here seemed to care a lot about it, so he didn't complain when they arrived with it. They had kept the diamonds and decorations to a minimum, as to keep the crown manly after all. It was simple, silver, and Dean had to admit it looked really good.

After being put the crown, the archbishop held out the two artifacts Dean had to hold, Dean stood back up. He held out his hands, completely forgetting about the gloves. He put the right one back on almost on instinct.

The man in front of him coughed softly, looking up at the Prince with apologetic eyes.

"Excuse me, your majesty? The gloves," he said, nodding at Dean's hands which were still covered. Dean sighed loudly, and tried to relax his shoulders. He was biting on his teeth, licking his lips once because they felt too dry all of the sudden and then his left hand reached for his right one, grabbing the glove by its index-finger, and slowly pulling it off. Then he took off the other one as well, and put them between the two artifacts. Hell, Dean didn't even know what they were called. Missouri told him earlier today, but Dean hadn't been listening, more worried about not freezing the place up instead of remembering the names of the objects he had to hold during this stupid ceremony.

As soon as Dean held the gold in his hands, he turned around to face the people sitting in the seats. He saw that, in the back, there were people standing because there weren't enough seats.

Just for a short second, Dean's eyes flickered to Sam next to him. He saw how proud his brother seemed, smiling brightly – something Dean hadn't seen in a while now. When Sam saw him staring, his eyes widened, and he shortly nodded to the people, making Dean focus again and turning his head again.

The familiar faces were the only ones he dared looking at. Uncle Bobby – not that he was really an Uncle, more a childhood friend of his father – seemed to be tearing up a little bit, and Dean had to hold back a snort. Bobby always appeared strong and uncaring, cursing a lot for a King. Jo wasn't his real daughter, but after marrying Ellen, she became a Princess as well. But Jo wasn't a typical one, often refusing to wear dresses, and keeping her hair loose instead of pulled back neatly in braids and buns. She loved wrestling – Dean saw her and Sam once when they were still kids, but Dean hadn't join in, afraid that he would hurt her like he hurt Sammy.

One more look at his brother, and Dean noticed the lighter lock of hair Sam had. A wave of shame and fear came over him, and he knew now that his hold on the artifacts couldn't be kept much longer. He noticed his fingers, already freezing up the metal. The ice slowly crept up around it, and Dean's hands were trembling as he saw it.

He was vaguely aware of the man talking behind him, hearing some words he wasn't able to recognize, but as soon as the words "King Dean of Moondor!" came out of his mouth, Dean turned back around and dropped the scepter and the orb – oh sure, _now_ he remembered the names… - and grabbed his gloves again. Without any hesitation, he put them back on, ignoring the questioning gasp coming from the archbishop. He saw Sam roll his eyes as Dean's hands were covered again, but Dean couldn't care less. He knew the gloves looked ridiculous, but at least they kept out a little bit of his powers, and even a little was a precious for him.

When he looked at the crown again, they were all standing, and Dean hadn't even noticed they were clapping. He nodded at them, tried to smile, but failed miserably at it, only giving them a painful grin.

But at least this part was over.

* * *

The party was kind of okay. People were dancing and talking, and the whole ballroom was filled with them. Dean had never seen it like this before, and strangely, he liked it a little bit.

He stood by his throne, not wanting to sit on it as not be impolite. He touched the crown on his head, caressing the silver, trying to memorize the pattern on it.

"Prince Samuel of Moondor!" suddenly was announced, making Dean look up. He saw his dorky younger brother walking in the room, literally too tall next to the guards. How'd he even end up so big?

Sam was guided next to Dean, and while the Prince was hesitant at first, Dean just smiled, enjoying his brother's company again. He looked back at the crowd that had been applauding for Sam's arrival, but were now dancing again.

"Hey Sammy," Dean said, grinning a little bit. He felt so relaxed all of the sudden, and it felt nice.

"Hey me?" Sam asked shocked, turning to Dean. Sam was wearing a green jacket, and his ridiculously long hair was put back in a ponytail, failing to catch a few shorter locks. Dean nodded shortly, frowning jokingly, and now Sam laughed as well. "Hi yourself," he said. "And don't call me Sammy… your Majesty."

"Whatever you want," Dean said smiling. "…Sammy," he added, now downright laughing at his brother's disgusted face. Of course, who dared to defy a King? Dean was in the clear.

The band was playing a song, and it all sounded like a real _party_, instead of a ball. People were dancing in a funny way, and Dean even saw two women dance with each other, laughing all the time one stepped on the other's foot.

Then Dean saw a woman walk up to them. She was pretty, if Dean had to admit. She had brown hair pulled up in a bun, gentle green eyes – darker than Dean's – and on her head was a crown. She bowed down while the staff introduced her, taking hold of her dress that looked a little bit fairy-like, covered with flowers and soft colors. It wasn't a wide dress, but it was slim, and long, covering most of the ground around her.

"Your Majesty, Queen Pamela Barnes of the Enchanted Forests," he said, making Dean's eyes go wide. He knew about the Enchanted Forests, hearing stories of how they almost all had powers; some of them were able to see the future; others could read thoughts.

"Your Majesty, it is my great honor to welcome you with the first dance as a King," she said, smirking a little bit. Dean couldn't help but smirk as well.

"Well, I don't really feel like dancing just yet," Dean said, not keeping his eyes from Queen Pamela. She looked at him with an amusing stare and was looking at Sam, as if she knew what Dean was going to propose to her. "But I'm sure Sammy here would like to," he said. Sam turned to him, throwing him a glare that screamed 'no please, this woman looks like she's going to eat me alive,' but Dean ignored him.

"Don't worry hot stuff, I won't bite," Pamela said as if she read his mind. She grabbed hold of his hand, and pulled him on the dance floor.

The way Pamela danced surprised Dean a little bit. She stood close next to him, practically rubbing against him and laughing at how awkward the Prince was.

When Dean turned his head for a moment, he saw a figure at the entrance. A man, not really dressed up formally, as he didn't have any nice clothing. Dean knew that, because he always seemed to wear the same three outfits. The guards weren't fighting with him, because they knew him. They knew he would never try to hurt the new King or the Prince. Dean swallowed loudly, tried to keep calm, and walked away from his spot to talk to the man he once shared a bed with.

"Hello, Dean," Castiel said as soon as Dean stood next to him. "I mean, your Majesty," he corrected himself, bowing down to Dean. The King shook his head, and his first instinct was to put his hand on Castiel's shoulder, but the last time they touched, Cas really got hurt. He couldn't risk that again. So, he pulled his hands back, pressed them against each other, and looked at the man.

"Please, don't you ever bow down for me, Cas," Dean said, a little ashamed that the man would do that so easily despite the history they shared.

"As you wish," Cas answered, standing up straight again.

"Why did you come?" Dean asked.

"You really got to ask?" Cas answered.

And then they ended up silent again. Dean never knew what to say whenever Cas answered like that. He knew how the man felt about him, but still after six years of not talking?

"How have you been?" Dean asked instead, not removing his eyes from his brother and Pamela, still dancing. At least the Prince was laughing now.

"I've been better," Cas answered shortly, looking down at his feet and sighing. "I miss you," he then said. Dean closed his eyes, sighing as well. He shook his head. They shouldn't be allowed to have this conversation. Too many emotions were brought back, and he couldn't handle them all.

Instead he said "Me too," earning him a surprised look from Cas, and damn his mouth for even saying that.

"Dean, please," Cas then said in a pleading tone, now standing in front of Dean and grabbing hold of his hand. Dean startled, but couldn't make himself pull back his hand. "Please, I can live with everything, even the ice-problem," he said, eyes big and pleading.

"Cas, don't," Dean said, but the man ignored him.

"Please Dean, give us another chance?" Cas said, staring at him deeply. His hands still covered Dean's, so it was no surprise when he pulled them back as soon as Dean felt a twitch of fear creeping up. The ice had already escaped; Cas' fingers would've been frozen if he hadn't pulled them away.

"Don't you see, Cas? I can't control it," Dean whispered. "You say you can live with me having powers, but every time we touch, you end up hurt."

There was a little moment of silence before Dean continued.

"So, no, Cas. I won't give us another chance, because I care about you, and I can't see you hurt."

Man, if Dean hadn't been so worried about controlling the ice, he would have made a face of sharing feelings with anybody. He never explained how he felt; his parents knew he loved them so he never had to speak the words. Dean only hoped Sam knew as well, but he had a stupid way of showing it. But with Cas… they never told each other what they felt. They were just there, Cas and Dean, Dean and Cas. There was nothing to describe them back then, just because there wasn't anything like them before in Moondor. A man shouldn't have romantic interactions with another man, and yet they did.

"Fine," Cas said, taking a step back. "It wasn't as if I was expecting anything would happen," he added. Then he bowed again, despite Dean's wishes. "I'll be leaving now, and I won't come back, just like you asked."

Dean's chest felt heavy when he heard those words. He wanted to hold him, to kiss him, but he didn't trust himself. He couldn't risk it, just because he wanted it.

When Cas made his way back outside, Dean sighed loudly, trying to ignore the pain in his chest.

* * *

Dancing with Pamela was a whole new experience. She was spontaneous, touchy, and seemed to know everything that came up in Sam's head.

First of all, Sam had been worried about the day almost being over, and still not having met anybody he _liked_ liked. Of course, there was this Ruby-girl he actually enjoyed talking to earlier, but he hadn't seen her since the coronation, and Sam was afraid she had left already.

Pamela's answer to that was: "Don't worry, you'll see your little princess soon."

Sam's eyebrows arched up at that answer, but he didn't say anything about it. Of course, she was from the Enchanted Forests, so he should have expected that this woman was psychic as well.

"Ah, _Psychic_, I like that word," she said, still smiling. Then she put her hand on his butt, and smiled playfully at him. Then she closed her eyes, as if she was trying to concentrate. "You'll see your true love again today," she said, as if trying to prove she could indeed foresee the future.

Then Sam just rolled his eyes, because, no, no way, he didn't believe it at all. Pamela laughed at that, and closed her eyes again. Sam felt a little bit uncomfortable with it; it felt as if his brains were itching, and it annoyed him.

"You've had a lonesome childhood, Sam Winchester," she said then, and the smile on her face had disappeared a little. "But don't worry, it'll all be over soon, and the gates will never close again."

Okay, now she was just pulling his leg. She could have heard about the closed gates from anybody around here, and the fact that the King and the Prince never really spent time with each other anymore wasn't a secret as well.

"Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart," she then said, and it seemed as if her eyes were becoming white. Sam detached himself from her as the woman didn't move anymore, and he waved his hand in front of her face. At first she didn't react, but then she shook her head, her eyes were green again, and that grin formed on her lips once more.

"What a delightful dance that was," she said, nodding at him once, and then turning around. Her dress moved gracefully with her as she made her departure.

Sam tried to avoid walking against the dancing people as he stepped back to the throne where Dean was still standing. He looked a little bit freaked out, as if something had happened while Sam was away. If it did, Sam didn't know, because he hadn't paid attention to his brother at all.

When Sam stood next to Dean again, the King tried to smile. "Well, she was… something else," he said, eyes focusing on Sam's.

"She was only a little bit creepy," Sam said, laughing. "She said I was going to see my 'true love' again." And he quoted the 'true love' part with his fingers. It made Dean laugh a little bit, but not much.

Then it was silent again, and Sam couldn't stand it.

"She also said the gates weren't going to close again. Was that a lie, or are you really planning on keeping them open?" he asked. Dean froze on his spot, and whatever little hint of a smile that was shown on his face had now disappeared. It seemed as if the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

"They're closing again after tonight, Sam, and that's final," he they said, voice trembling a little bit. Sam tried to argue, to get him to change his mind, but Dean put his hand in the air to stop him. "Sam, just drop it," he said, eyes looking sad.

Sam let out a deep breath, made fists, and shook his head.

"Whatever, Dean," he said, storming off again. He had to go outside for a little while, get some fresh air or something, because it was getting a little crowdie for him.

Sam, as clumsy as he was, of course had to trip over a napkin someone dropped – seriously, who did that? His hands reached out for anything he could hold, and it joined him on his way on the ground.

"Hey," a familiar voice said, and Sam looked up, seeing Ruby lying on top of him, face flustered red from embarrassment. Of all the people he could have grabbed, it had to be Ruby! This was so awkward, but lucky coincidence too.

"I know it sounds weird, but I'm glad I caught you and let you fall along with me," he said, the words leaving his mouth before realizing it. A few dancers had made their way to them, and helped Ruby back up, checking if she was all right. Ruby straightened her dress again, put the loose locks of hair back in their place, and took a deep breath, actually giggling at Sam's words.

"Well, I have to say I'm glad as well," she said, and as soon as Sam was on his feet as well, he put his left hand on her waist, and with his right hand he took her left one.

"Care for a dance?" he asked, and Ruby smiled at him. It made Sam feel warm in his stomach, and it felt as if he were flying. Ruby was one of the most beautiful women he saw today, and he had actually hoped to find her again. It looked like Pamela was right after all.

Spending time with Ruby was so different. They shared stories – Sam learned she had a lot of sisters; Lilith, Meg, Eve, April, Anna, Rachel, Hester, Hael and Naomi. She was the youngest of them all, and mostly ignored by them. She said that April, Anna, Rachel, Hester, Hael and Naomi were the pride of the family, all married with an heir to a throne, and queen-to-be. Meg had refused to marry when she was old enough and was ignored as well – not that she cared of course - and Lilith, the oldest, was the Queen of Helleth's Gates – the Kingdom Ruby came from. She had been queen for six years, since their parents died – her father of old age, her mother murdered.

Ruby was only seventeen, only just allowed to be married, but Lilith had given up on her, too tired of trying to find an eligible bachelor for her, telling her she had to find one herself. Ruby claimed that it made her happy, that she was able to marry out of love instead of the arrangement. Sam smiled at that, and put his hand on hers.

Sam told her about his youth, growing up with Dean, being shut out by him all of the sudden, the closing of the gates. Ruby listened quietly, and when he was finished, she put her other hand on his – which was still lying on hers.

"I would never shut you out," she said. Sam felt like he was drowning; Ruby's face was enchanting, and Sam would never grow tired of it.

"Ruby, can I say something crazy?" he asked.

"I love crazy."

"Okay, it's eh… like… all my life has been doors shut closed in front of my face," he began, not really knowing where he was going with this. "And now, suddenly, I run into you and you open up for me, you get to know me." Ruby blushed at his confession, and Sam's stomach was filled with butterflies.

Sam stood up, still holding her hand, and pulled her along with him. "Can I show you something I really like to do?" he asked, actually whispering in her ear. Ruby gasped for breath, and Sam knew her face was red again.

"Y-yes," she said, hesitantly. Sam then guided her back to the hallways of the sleeping-floor.

"Okay, so, take off your shoes. These hallways are really slippery, and just sliding over them is amazing!" he said, removing his own shoes, running a little bit, and then stopping to slide on the floor. Ruby watched, and started laughing when he reached the end of the hallway.

They did that for a few minutes, but when the guard arrived, they ran off, sneaking away to the balcony. Sam threw his leg over the balcony, and sat on the edge, Ruby then sitting next to him.

They kept on talking, they danced some more, they watched the full moon, and they walked through the garden – which was really beautiful! It seemed like it was almost midnight, and Sam wasn't ready to let go of this. He didn't want her to leave. Ruby seemed to think the same thing.

"So, when the gates are closed, you can't come out anymore?" she asked, face sad all of the sudden. Sam shook his head, and both fell silent for a little while.

"We could get married?" he then asked before thinking about it, and Ruby's eyes became even larger.

"Prince Samuel, are you proposing to me?" she asked. Sam held his head high, and then dropped down on his knee, holding Ruby's hand.

"Princess Ruby of Helleth's Gate, will you do me the pleasure of marrying me?"

There was no hesitation, Ruby put her hand on her chest, and bit her lip.

"Oh my God, yes!" she anwered.

* * *

When Sam found Dean, he was still holding Ruby's hand. Dean was talking to Uncle Bobby and Rufus – another friend of the family, only, nobody didn't really know where he was from. Dean was actually laughing at something the two said, and he felt relaxed for a while. Castiel's visit was still fresh in his memory, but he had accepted that pushing him away was for the best.

"Dean!" Sam called to get his brother's attention and the two men talking to the King looked up, seeing the Prince walk up. Dean breathed out laughingly, and turned around as well to face his brother. There he saw that the man was holding a woman's hand. Dean recognized that girl Sam was waving at back at the coronation.

"Dean, I would like you to meet Princess Ruby of Helleth's Gates," Sam said, introducing the woman. Dean nodded at her as a greeting, and Ruby bowed for him.

"We would like your blessing for our marriage," Sam then blurted out, and Ruby was giggling. They both seemed too happy, and Dean was left speechless for a little while. Behind him, he heard Bobby and Rufus talking to each other, wondering what was happening here.

"Excuse me, I'm confused," Dean said.

"Of course, we haven't thought about the details just yet, but I think we should get married here," Sam continued, not even noticing his brother had spoken. "And shall we invite all of your sisters?"

"If you'd like, yes!" Ruby said.

Dean shook his head heavily, and Bobby seemed to see that he was getting nervous of the two.

"Kids, have you thought this thing through?" he asked, and Sam nodded. Dean, on the other hand, shook his head again, holding out his hands to his brother.

"Sammy, I'm glad you found somebody you like to spend time with, but nobody's getting married, and nobody's sisters are staying here," Dean said in a calm voice. He saw Bobby look at him surprised for how he was handling this case without getting angry – which was how he usually reacted before storming off to control the ice again.

"What? Why not?" Sam asked, now standing in front of Ruby as if to protect her. Even while she was wearing high heels, she was much smaller than him, so if it wasn't for her red dress, Dean wouldn't even have seen her anymore.

"I need to talk to you, alone," Dean said, holding his head high, and trying to look down at Sam despite him being so much taller.

"No, whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us," Sam shot back, face now looking angry. Bobby and Rufus silently retreated back to leave them alone, and Dean was thankful for that. He didn't want them caught up in this situation.

"Fine, if that's what you want. You can't marry a woman you've just met," Dean said.

"You can if it's true love," Sam answered. And oh no, Sam didn't seriously just say true love now, did he? Dean knew he was a little bit lonely, but that he would seriously believe the stories of how one person was meant to end up with another, Sam had really become desperate.

"What do you know about love?" Dean asked, hearing his voice becoming sad again. They didn't know anything about it, and though Dean regretted nothing more, it was painfully true.

"Well, more than you do!" Sam said in strong voice. Some of the guests were now looking at them, which made this much harder. "All you know is how to shut people out!"

Sam seemed to realize that he had gone too far now, especially when Dean stopped dead on his tracks, and his hands were closed to fists. Slowly but surely, his face was becoming hot, and he knew that he was going to lose it soon. Sam didn't know _anything_. Dean tried to let Castiel in, and he got hurt. It wasn't his fault; it wasn't on him that he couldn't be friends with anyone without causing pain. Dean took another deep breath, tried to calm his nerves, but feeling that his control was already slipping away. He had to go soon.

"You asked for my blessing, but my answer is no," Dean said, signaling the guards for their attention. "Now, I think it's best if you leave, because this party is over."

"Dean," Sam began, grabbing for him. Dean avoided him, and when the guard arrived, he addressed himself to him.

"Close the gates," he said. The guard nodded, and walked away. Sam wouldn't have it. He reached out for his brother again, this time grabbing his glove, and accidentally pulling it off. Dean panicked immediately, and tried to get it back, but Sam kept it with him. "Give me my glove!" he ordered, but Sam shook his head.

"Please, Dean, don't close the gates! I can't live like this anymore!" he begged, and for a minute – just for a little minute – Dean considered it; leaving the gates open, allowing people in all the time, being talked to every moment. He couldn't handle that, his control wasn't strong enough.

"Then leave, Sammy," Dean said, crossing his arms in front of him to try and hide his hands, ignoring his brother's hurt expression. He would get that glove back later; all he had to do now was leave this room and make sure everybody would be safe.

But of course, Sam's tantrum got in the way of that.

"What did I ever do to you?!" he asked, no, screamed. There was nobody who wasn't paying attention to them, to the scene they were making. Dean saw Jo walk to him, but he dismissed her. He was well aware that his face was one of full horror.

"Enough Sammy," Dean said softly, voice trembling. He was almost at the door, just a few more steps.

"Why do you shut me out, Dean?!" he asked. By now, the music had stopped as well, and except for Sam's voice, no sound was made. No-one dared talking to each other, and even Ellen and Bobby were just watching, unknowing of how to handle this. "Why do you shut the world out?"

One more step, almost there. Dean was already reaching out with his right hand – the gloved one – to take hold of the door knob.

"WHAT ARE YOU SO AFRAID OFF?!"

That was _it_! Dean turned around immediately, swinging his hand to make him shut up. "I SAID ENOUGH!" Dean yelled, and before he knew, ice was leaving his fingertips, creating sharp points of ice, all pointing at his brother. Shock and horror was visible on everybody's face in the room, but still nobody spoke.

Except for the count of Helleth's Gate – the Kingdom Ruby came from. He was a shortish man with short dark hair, and seemed to have an eternal smirk on his face. That man spoke out first, carefully eyeing the spikes, not daring to touch it. He pointed one short and thick finger at the ice.

"Sorcery," he said, and a few eyebrows raised up at that. Even those who came from the enchanted forests had been taken by surprise, for the power to create something out of thin air wasn't known in their area.

"Dean?" Sam asked, still holding the glove, looking at him with a pleading expression.

But it was too much. Dean's back was against the door, and the hand still covered reached for the knob, turning it and leading to him making his escape. He didn't care that they were all watching him; they knew it all, he let it show, and now he had to pay for it. So he ran out, in the plaza, not expecting to see all the citizens of Moondor still standing there, waiting for a glimpse of their new King.

Dean shook his head, and made his way through the crowd. He kept his hands to himself, afraid to touch anybody and freezing them on the spot.

It was when the count ran outside, followed by his two henchmen, Sam, Ruby, Bobby and Rufus, to follow him - To stop him. Dean turned around when they called for him, walking backwards while not keeping his eyes off his brother.

"Stop him! Stop that monster!" the Count of Helleth's Gate yelled, and even though Dean heard Ruby yell at him for accusing Dean, all the words seemed to vanish when Dean almost tripped over the edge of the fountain. As soon as his hand touched the water, it froze on the spot, and the ice was covering every inch of water that was spurting out, making it look scary and dangerous. Dean held his hand back to his chest, and stared at what he'd done. When he heard Sam running up to him, he made his escape again. This time, the people weren't trying to talk to him. They gave him space, got out of the way, and Dean was already through the gates.

The water stopped him. Was he able to freeze it too? Could he walk over it? Dean took the step, put his foot on it, and his suspicions got confirmed. Making little patterns, the water froze up, thick enough to carry his weight. With every step he took more, the ice spread, but Dean didn't see. All he was thinking of was to run in the forests, and forget about everything. First day as King and he was already breaking his promise; He hadn't kept Moondor safe, but almost killed people. He had to run away, never come back. Sam would be a better King than him. _Everybody _would be a better King than him.

So Dean escaped in the dark of the forests, not knowing where he was heading. It was as if his powers made him stronger, faster, because a normal person wouldn't have gotten this far in such a short time.

Dean left Moondor behind him.

But he didn't know what he had unleashed.


	4. Never Going Back

O God, I'm sorry it took so long. But here is the next chapter!

Thank you to whoever is reading this. It means a lot to me. I had a few trouble with the lay-out of this story when I uploaded it here, I hope it's okay now. There might still be mistakes in this chapter, for that I'm sorry.

**Never going back**

**I**t had been freezing overnight. Sam remembered how he and Dean had been playing on the field the next day; ice skating on the lake – well, Dean was skating, and Sam was falling. It had been snowing even while they were outside, but that didn't stop them. Both of them were kids, and they were dressed up in so many layers that Sam almost had trouble moving.

Only, he didn't remember how they got to the lake.

Nor how they got home.

Now, it seemed like Sam's memories were shifting; as if whatever his head told him happened didn't actually happen at all. While they had been ice skating during daylight all those many years ago, now he only saw the inside of the castle, ice on the ground, and the light of the moon seeping through the windows, enlighten up the place.

As Sam was watching his brother run away, his head kept on sending him those images. Building snowmen in the ballroom; his brother making him a small castle to play with; skating in the plaza. It all seemed unrealistic, but it all was so real in his head.

And now as Dean was running over the fjord, the ice was spreading, covering all the water, creeping up on the boats and keeping them stuck. The temperature dropped enormously, and Sam could see the clouds of his air coming out of his mouth.

When he reached the fjord, he tripped, slipped on the ice, falling down. His arm got between the ground and his face, but it still hurt a lot. Sam groaned as he tried to get up, and then there were arms under his armpits trying to get him back up. He knew it was Ruby, because she had been running behind him.

"O lord," she muttered as she was looking around, taking in the sudden snowstorm.

They both didn't say anything as they made their way back to the plaza. Ruby was wiping off the snow of his shirt and out of his hair, and Sam was looking at his hands. He scraped them when falling down, and they were bleeding a little bit, but not much. It was easy to ignore.

As soon as they got back, Sam acknowledged the people looking up, holding out their hands, wondering how this weather was possible during the summer. Everybody was asking questions, rubbing their arms to keep warm. The count of Helleth's Gates was shouting angrily, demanding explanation, and causing a lot of drama. Sam rolled his eyes at seeing him, but it was Ruby that talked first.

"Crowley, you make too much noise," she said, giving him an uninterested expression. At noticing their presence, Crowley jumped in the air, and hid behind the taller one of his henchmen, his eyes not leaving Sam.

"You? Are you a monster too?" he asked. Sam immediately frowned, and felt insulted on Dean's behalf. Dean wasn't a monster? He was just… different? Hell, Sam couldn't even explain it. What else could he name this course of events? Dean shutting everyone out, the room always feeling colder whenever he got angry, him running away during arguments. It's wasn't because he couldn't prove his points, but mainly because he couldn't control the source deep within him.

"No! I'm completely ordinary!" Sam answered, still uneasy about this whole thing. He was now visibly shivering, and one of the guards brought him a blanket to put over him. When the man left, Sam took it off, and offered it to Ruby instead, whose arms were bare and she already had goosebumps.

"Thank you, Sam," she said, smiling sweetly at him.

"My brother is not a monster!" Sam then said, coming to his brother's defense. Crowley visibly wasn't pleased, and he shook his head.

"He tried to kill me!" Crowley yelled at him, causing people to notice them. Everybody around them was now listening, trying to hear the prince out.

"You slipped on ice," Ruby bit back.

"His ice!"

"Stop it, both of you," suddenly came out from behind them. Sam turned around, saw the doors of the castle still open, and Bobby and Rufus walking out. The older King was coming closer, face a little bit red from anger. "You can stand out here arguing about it, or you can let us find a solution for this."

"This is my fault," Sam said, interrupting Bobby by holding his hand up. Sam then shuddered a little bit, and tried to ignore the cold. "I pushed him, so it should be up to me to fix this."

"Sam," Ruby and Bobby both said at the same time.

"I'll be fine, don't worry. Dean won't hurt me," Sam said to assure them, but he wasn't so sure himself. Luckily, no one saw the hesitation in his face, so they nodded.

"At least let me go with you?" Ruby asked.

"No, I need you here, Ruby. You and need to watch over Moondor while I'm gone. I need somebody I can trust."

When Sam's horse was brought to him, he mounted it, trying not to look at all the people watching up, questioning the snow falling down. He took the reins, and held his head high.

"I leave Princess Ruby in charge until my return," Sam announced, ignoring Bobby's surprised gasp. Of course, it would have been more understandable if he'd chosen the oldest family friend, but somehow it felt like betraying Ruby if he didn't. Also, he trusted her to do the right thing. That had to be enough, right?

* * *

Dean had no clue how long he had been walking. It felt like hours, maybe even days, but it had only been an hour past midnight since he left, and the sun was not even close to rising again. He was high up in the mountain, walking in snow and ruining it with his footprints. The wind was howling in his ears, and it reminded him of the swirling storm inside himself; that storm of doubts, of fear. Dean tried his best to keep the tears in. He was never really a person who cried a lot, but there were occasions when he couldn't help it. Now, at the point of having ruined his life and being alone in the mountains, Dean never felt so lonely.

As he looked around, he only saw snow, white everywhere. Moondor was far behind, and not even visible from where Dean was standing. He didn't have a clue where he was.

It was all so unbelievable; he just got crowned King and the first thing he did was almost killing his brother. Again! It was better for him to stay in isolation, to stay away from people.

But how could he do it? How could he continue living without any human contact? How could he go on knowing that he would never see Sammy again? Or never even see a little glimpse of Castiel in the village? An unpleasant feeling crept up in his stomach.

The people knew his secret. After all those years of keeping it in, of trying all that time, they found out because Dean couldn't keep his temper.

"Screw it," Dean said, looking at his right hand, still covered with the dark blue glove. Without any hesitation, he took hold of one tip, and pulled the clothing off, freeing his hand. He threw the glove in the air, and the wind carried it along.

Then Dean took a deep breath, and held his hand up, watching closely as the ice escaped his fingertips. It was beautiful, shining in the moonlight, falling down gracefully. For once, Dean wasn't holding back; he looked at the flakes with big eyes, a small smile on his face, and he let go of all his fears.

All around him he started to throw snow, bending it at his will, making slow movements, creating an explosion of ice above his head, and even finally laughing again.

Yes, he would be alone from now on, but at least he was free. He couldn't hold it back anymore, using his powers now all the time. One minute he was throwing snow around, the next one he recreated the snowman he and Sam build when they were little. The only thing missing was the nose, but despite that, it looked exactly alike.

Dean stepped forward, looking at the mountain in front of him. It was impossible to cross without falling to death, but Dean figured; if he could walk on water, he could find a way to cross. That's why he slammed his foot on the ground, seeing the bottom of stairs forming. The ice was rough and spikey, but it was strong enough to carry him. Dean took the first step, continued on building. As soon as he looked behind, he saw that the ice had become flawless, and shone bright in the moonlight. It looked extraordinary; like nothing he'd ever seen. He wasn't even aware he could do this, making something beautiful with such a dangerous power.

No, no more hiding now. He was able to test his limits, and even then still try to break through them. There was no more right or wrong, no more rules. He didn't have to be the good boy anymore, didn't have to conceal. He was free.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he noticed the wind got stronger as his excitement grew. With his hands he reached up, waving, and causing the wind to follow him. He gasped in surprise, and tried again, realizing that the wind followed his movements.

"Huh," he mumbled to himself, wondering what else he could do. Then he got an idea, and grinned, looking around to look at his surroundings. He held out his hands, palms turned upside, and raised his arms, seeing the ice growing from the ground with his movements, building walls around him. Dean now laughed loudly as he added a few new walls, made a floor, and raised it up as well. The sun that was beginning to get out of the horizon shone through the ice, illuminating the room around him as Dean added more walls, a ceiling, pillars, and other parts he remembered seeing at home. Of course, he wouldn't need this much space, but it was nice to know what he was actually capable off. He felt his power growing stronger as he tested it. With every part of the castle he added, it felt like a piece of his soul was connected in it, as if the castle _was_ him. And then he looked up, blinked his eyes one time, and with a blast an enormous chandelier made of ice appeared, looking as if it were made of crystal.

Then he looked at his clothes, and sighed loudly. He didn't want to wear this anymore, these colors reminding him too much of home. So he closed his eyes again because, though he never did it before, he knew he was able to change the colors. And he was right, when he opened them again, the dark blue clothing had become lighter, and the fabric seemed to be lighter as well, softer. Dean threw his head back, and burst out in laughter once again.

It was then that he felt the crown still sitting on his head. He had forgotten all about it because it was so light, but now that he knew it was there, it weighed so heavy. Dean reached up, took the crown between his hands, and looked at it.

"I'm never going back," Dean muttered to himself, looking up again. "The past is in the past," he added, as he threw the crown away, through the window, never to be found again. The silver fell, the sunlight reflected on it, and after that, it was gone. Now there was nothing here that reminded him of home. His clothes were changed, his crown was gone, no more gloves. Dean put his hands in his hair, and went through them, undoing all the work the maid had done to make it look presentable. He ruffled it, combing away the product she had used to keep it in place.

Now the sun was almost completely out of the horizon. Dean saw it, and walked to the balcony, rising along with the sun, like the break of dawn. When he was at the edge, Dean took a deep breath. It was morning, and normally he would have just woken up in the castle, afraid to losing control, afraid to do things wrong. But not anymore; he could finally let the storm inside himself rage on. And when a cold breeze of wind passed through him, Dean only snorted.

"The cold never bothered me anyway," he mumbled, as he turned around again, now looking at his creation. "Damn, maybe that chandelier was too girly?" he asked himself.

* * *

Sam had lost his horse.

No seriously, the horse heard some weird sound high up the mountain – something rumbling or whatever – and it threw Sam off of him, letting the Prince fall down behind him, landing in the soft but way too cold snow.

"No! Wait!" he had called after the horse, but it was too frightened to come back, leaving Sam on his own, wet from the snow, and shivering. His hair had come undone from its tail, and his bangs were now hanging nonchalantly in front of his eyes. The only indication that he was not a homeless were his now soaked clothes that were in no way warm enough for him.

"Oh-kay," Sam muttered, teeth's clattering, and while ignoring the pain in his knees in standing up, he looked around again, trying to find any indication in where he was.

He had only been running for an hour or so, keeping warm with the fur of the horse that was sweating from all the running. Sure, it sounded disgusting, but whatever kept him warm right now helped.

Sam resumed walking, knowing that if he didn't find any shelter soon, he would freeze to death. He wondered if maybe Ruby had better come along. Or anybody else, because now that he was alone, he didn't see much he could do to stop this sudden winter.

And even, how in Heaven's name did the snow appeared so soon? Not an hour ago, it was faintly dropping out of the sky, but here he was, surrounded by it already.

"Dean!" Sam called, even though he knew the King wouldn't hear him. "It's me Sam! You know, your brother who didn't mean to make you freeze the summer?"

As expected, there was no answer, and Sam groaned as he continued walking.

The next step he did was much deeper than expected, and he fell down again, covered in the white stuff around him, making him shiver even harder. Once again, he stood up, barely feeling his hands as he got back to his feet. It was deep in the night, the stars were filling the sky, and Sam knew it could only be around one in the morning, so he still had a long night ahead of him.

"It _had_ to be snow," Sam thought bitterly as he stepped in a deep spot again, barely keeping himself up straight. "He couldn't have powers that made the landscape turn into tropical beaches where we would all sit around a warm…"

His thought was disturbed as he pushed a branch out of the way, seeing a little cottage with smoke coming out of the chimney.

"Fire!" Sam almost yelled, laughing again and practically jumping. When he took a step forward, he fell down once again, but this time he didn't end up in snow, but broke through the ice of a tiny little stream, ending up in ice cold water. "Damn it!" he bit to himself, as he stood up again, cursing under his breath as he walked through the water, on his way to the little cottage.

The cottage turned out to be a little shop – with sauna – and it seemed even better for Sam, because now he could get material to continue his search. Sam opened the door, and as soon as he was inside, he leaned back against the wall and took in the warmth from it, sighing loudly and happily.

"Hello," a girl asks from the counter, and was Sam hearing things or was she actually giggling?

"Eh, hi," Sam said, taking in the girl that was sitting a little further away. He saw a small woman, straight dark blonde hair loose around her face, and her expression was… well… disturbing to say the least.

"Can I help you?" she asked, still smiling brightly. "It's the big summer blow out! We have bathing suits, clocks, and a sunblock of my own invention!" she squealed, nodding as she held up a bottle.

"Uh, that's great," Sam said, not really knowing where he was safer, here or outside with this freaky girl. "But for now, how about boots? Winter boots. And warm clothes?"

The smile on her face didn't disappear, and her hand pointed at a little section in the back. "That will be in our winter department," she explained, and Sam followed her fingers, seeing the little corner where a few boots were put. There were also a bunch of dresses, and two coats for men. One was dark brown, but the other one was ugly purple. Oh, Sam hoped the brown one fitted.

As he walked to the corner, Sam felt her eyes follow him, and he grew more uncomfortable by the second. Still, he ignored it as he took off his shoes and shirt and reached out for the brown coat.

"So, I was wondering, has another man passed here by any chance? He asked. "I don't know, the _King_ perhaps?" he said, trying to sound innocent. At the same time, he tried to put his hand through the sleeve of the brown coat, but sadly, it didn't fit; it was way too small. Batting his eyes, Sam put the brown one back, and reached for the purple one. Why would anybody even make such an abomination? As it turned out, that coat fitted perfectly, and it was enjoyably warm. Warm enough to forget that it was very ugly.

"Oh my _God_!" the girl said, shaking her hands in excitement. "You're the Prince, aren't you? In search of your brother?"

Sam frowned as he put on dry socks and the winter boots.

"Yes, now, the King?" he urged again.

"No, didn't see him. The only one _brave_ enough to be out here in this storm is you, your majesty," she said, looking longingly at him as he made his way back to the counter, and dropped the wet but still usable clothes he was wearing earlier. He figured that she would have taken them from the floor anyway, so he might as well bring it. The girl took them, and put them in front of the fire.

And at that moment the door open, and the cold from outside was coming in again. A little bell announced his entrance, and when Sam and the girl – Becky as the little tag on the counter said – turned to the newcomer, they saw a man covered with snow, shaking the white stuff off him.

The man looked around for a little moment, before making his way to where Sam was standing, and grabbing something from where Becky was sitting. Carrots, as it appeared. The man dropped them on the counter, and making his way to the winter department to pick up some rope and climbing material. Also, he was definitely cutting the line, but Sam was just too surprised by this man's appearance that he didn't seem to care.

After dropping everything, the man went to stand next to Sam.

"You look like you've been in one crazy snow storm," Becky said, eyes not leaving the man as she sat back down.

"Yes, it's crazy up in the North Mountain," the man said, voice low and gravelly. Sam was a little taken aback, because he looked so slim and tender. Inside his head, he was taking in the information. The snow storm came up from the North Mountain?

"That'll be forty," Becky said, as she put the goods next to each other.

"Forty? No, ten!" the man countered, frowning, voice muffled by the scarf he was wearing in front of his mouth.

"No can't do buddy," Becky said. "This is from our winter stock, and we have a little bit of a supply and demand problem," she explained. The man rolled his eyes.

"Wanna talk about a demand problem? I sell ice for a living," the man said, and Sam suddenly started laughing.

"Aw man! That's a tough business to be in right now!" he said, only then noticing the man's angry glare, making him caugh up his laugh, and look away again. "I mean, that's unfortunate," he said then instead.

"Listen, ten is all I've got, help me out here?" the man said, now sounding desperate. Becky sighed, separating the carrots from the climbing material, pointing at the vegetables.

"For ten I will give you this, but no more," she said. But before the man could answer, Sam started talking to him again, because he _needed _to know.

"So, what exactly was happening at the North Mountain? Did it seem magical in some sort of way?" he asked, and now the man was sighing in annoyance, taking off the scarf from his face and looking straight at Sam.

"Well, as we were walking undisturbingly in the mountains one moment and the next one there was a whole storm, yes, I would call it magical!" he said, "Now back off, so I can deal with this crook here."

Sam's eyes got wide as he heard that last sentence, knowing very well that – even though he didn't know that girl at all – Becky would freak out at such a comment. When het man had turned his head back at the shop owner, he took a step back, and Sam would've done the same. Becky was now standing, face red, and eyes screaming murder. Here lips were pulled in one thin line, and she was breathing loudly.

"_What_ exactly did you just call me?" she asked. The man gulped loudly, and took another step back.

"Maybe I'll just go," he said, bowing slightly as he walked back to the door, shooting Sam an annoyed glance, and finally leaving the shop. After that, Sam and Becky were alone again.

"Sorry for that," she said, giggling again. She sat down, putting aside the man's goods, and looked back up at Sam. "So you just want the clothing and the boots, right?"

And at that question, Sam looked back at the carrots and climbing equipment. If he could catch up with that man, he could probably take him up the North Mountain? Bring him back to Dean? The least he could do was try, right?

"Add those things as well," Sam said, reaching for his pockets to grab some money – glad that Missouri always told him to pack up some cash – and he threw a bill of hundred.

* * *

As soon as he got back outside, Sam looked around, hoping to still catch a glimpse of the man. He wasn't disappointed when he saw a sled that wasn't there before, right next to a little cabin that was covered with snow. Sam didn't knock on the door as he entered.

"I need your help," he said, and the person he saw there was not exactly who he expected. It wasn't the man, but a girl, combing through her long blonde tangled hair, face red from the cold. She was wearing an olive-green cape, and the rest of her clothes seemed very old. She might as well have been homeless.

"What are _you_ doing here?" a voice asked, and Sam recognized he man from the shop. His heart skipped a beat of excitement, and he tried to smile friendly at him. The man was sitting in hay, looking up at the newcomer, face a little bit angry.

"I need you to take me up the North Mountain," Sam explained, grabbing the bags with carrots closer to his chest.

"I don't take people places," the man said, and now the girl made an annoyed sound.

"Castiel, you are such an antisocial creature, you know that?" she snapped, slapping him on the leg. "What's with you today?" And after that she stood up, and went to stand in front of Sam. Then she put her hand on her chest. "My name is Jess, this is my friend Castiel," she said as introduction.

"Sam," the Prince answered, smiling at Jess' sympathetic face, before looking back at Castiel.

"Don't make friends with him! Thanks to him I couldn't buy our stuff!" Castiel complained, and Sam rolled his eyes as he showed the bag to Jess before throwing it to Castiel – who had hidden his face under his hat. The man was startled, sat back straight and grabbed for the bag, frowning when he saw the rope and the pickaxe. The horse that probably pulled the sled took a few interested sniffs. Castiel pushed it away, and looked at Sam with a bored expression.

"Rephrase," Sam said, smiling at Jess. "Take me up the North Mountain," he ordered; head high and looking down at the man, adding a small 'Please' at the end while watching Jess again for a little while.

Castiel sighed, dropped back into the hay and closed his eyes.

"We leave at dawn," he muttered, "And you forgot the carrots."

Sam grinned again, and pulled out the other bag, making Jess smile as well. Sam threw the back again in Castiel's direction, and it landed on the man's face. Castiel grunted, pulled off the weight off his head, and glanced angrily at Sam, who was still smirking.

"We leave _now_," Sam said, crossing his arms. "Right now, please." And after that he nodded at Jess once and turned around, walking back outside, into the darkness of the night. At least the bunker had been lit up with the light of the fire.

While Sam was waiting at the door, he heard the two people talking to each other.

"What are you waiting for, Cas?" Jess asked, and from the sound of it, she was probably shoving him until he was standing up. "That was the _Prince_! We need to help him!"

"I'm very much aware of who he is, Jessica," Castiel complained, making a sound as if he were standing up.

"Okay, _why_ do you act so strange every time someone from the Royal Family is mentioned?" she asks, and at that Sam frowns. Did his family do something that hurt him?

"I do not wish to share that, let's just go," Castiel muttered, coming closer to the door.

"I'm not letting this go, Cas!" Jess warns, and then the two come out, joining Sam and walking to the sled. They didn't say anything. Sam just stood there, unknowing of what to do while Castiel was loading up the sled and Jess was attaching the horse to it. When she gestured him to sit down, he nodded, and put himself next to her, only then seeing that Castiel would only fit if they would squeeze real tight, and that would be very uncomfortable.

Luckily, Castiel sat down behind them, with the cargo, leaning his head over the edge of the seat and pointing at Jess where to go. Jess then took the reins, and made the horse start walking, starting their journey to Dean.

Sam had noticed that Castiel was very silent, while Jess didn't seem bothered by his presence.

"So, what made the King go all ice-crazy?" she asked, and Sam sighed, rolling his eyes and looking straight ahead.

"I guess it's my fault a little bit, though Dean really overreacted I think," Sam said, fumbling with his gloves and taking a deep breath. "So get this; I got engaged, and he freaked out because I only just met her, you know, that day," Sam began. "And then he said he wouldn't bless the marriage, and-"

"Wait, have you just said that you got engaged to someone you _just_ met _that day_?" Castiel's low voice suddenly asked from behind Sam, and the Prince turned his head to him in annoyance, causing the longer locks of his hair to end up in his eyes.

"Yeah, anyway," he said as he looked back straight ahead, putting his hair back behind his ear. "I got mad, I mean, why wouldn't I?" Sam said, frowning, "ending up that Dean got mad as well, so when he walked away I tried to grab him, accidentally taking off his glove," Sam continued, not really realizing that he was babbling, talking too fast.

"Hold on a second," Castiel interrupted again. "You actually mean to tell me that you got engaged to someone you _just met that day_?" And now Jess was looking at him as well, and Sam rolled his eyes again.

"Yes, dude, pay attention," Sam bit back.

"Didn't your parents ever warn you about strangers?" Okay, now this Castiel was just being annoying. Sam sighed loudly, and counted to five to remain calm.

"Yes, they did, but Ruby is _not_ a stranger," Sam said calmly, looking at Jess who had raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"What's her last name?" she asked, smirking, when Sam's mouth fell open but no answer came out. "Favorite food? Best friend's name? Eye color? Foot size?"

"Okay! That all doesn't matter," Sam said, face now burning red in shame and anger, and smoke probably coming out of his ears.

"Have you ever had a meal with her yet?" Castiel asked after that, and when Sam shook his head, the man laughed softly. "So you haven't even dated her? Man you move fast."

"It doesn't matter, okay?" Sam said, really pissed off now. "The psychic told me I'd meet my true love today, and right after that she was there, so it's meant to be; it's _true love_."

"A psychic?" Jess asked.

"It doesn't sound like true love," Castiel added. Sam threw his hands in the air in desperation, and turned around to the man again.

"So, what? Are you two some kind of love-experts or something?"

"N-no, but we have friends who are," Castiel muttered, sitting back again and looking around, suddenly frowning as he peered into the darkness. Sam chose to ignore him.

"_You_ have friends who are love-experts?" he asked, and Jess made an unhappy face. "I'm not buying it," he added.

"Be quiet," Castiel said, almost in a whisper. Sam didn't hear it.

"No, I'd like to meet these _friends_ of yours," he said, now laughing again. At that a gloved hand was put on his mouth to make him shut up, and Sam shook his head, pulling his face away. "_Dude_!" he complained.

"Jess, you need to go faster, because I think we have wolves following us," Castiel said, suddenly standing up, and grabbing the torch that was planted firmly next to Jess. The girl took a shaky breath and nodded, instructing the horse to pick up his speed and speeding up.

"Wait, wolves?" Sam said, and at that moment the animals chose to howl, made themselves noticed all of the sudden. Sam froze on the spot, felt his heartbeat in his ears from the panic. "Oh my _God_! Wolves!" he yelled as he spotted one on the sides.

At the tone of his voice, the animal's ears went up and it howled as well, alarming the others of his pack. After that, they went in pursuit, running behind the sled. That earned Sam a smack on his head from Castiel.

"I told you to shut up!" Castiel bit him, looking around him, and grabbing a sleeping bag, putting the flames of the torch against it, and then dropping the burning thing on the running wolves. A few of them got hurt, but the others avoided it easily, and didn't even bother to stay behind. "Damn it," Castiel snapped, and he turned his head to Jess when she yelled for him.

"We are running out of ground!" she said, voice full of fear.

"We need to jump," Castiel said.

"What? Are you crazy?" Sam countered, but his words were ignored. Castiel grabbed Jess and threw her on the horse. The girl screamed for a moment, but eventually settled, gesturing for Sam to join her.

With shaking legs, the Prince ran up to the horse, and right at the moment that he sat down behind Jess, he heard the rope getting cut. When he looked back, he saw Castiel holding a knife in his hands, and looking sadly at his sled.

"Jump!" he then yelled, and the horse obeyed, jumping off the ground, going to the other side. Sam felt all of his courage drop to his shoes when he looked down, seeing the drop they would make if they would fall. Behind them, Castiel jumped off the sled, and right after the horse landed back on his feet, the man was pressed against the edge of the cliff, face in the snow.

"Thank God," he muttered, but then Sam saw him slide away, not able to grab hold on the snow. He reacted immediately, grabbing the bag with the rope they had attached to the horse, and throwing it at Castiel.

"Take the rope!" he yelled, and when he felt pressure on it, he knew he could pull. Luckily, Jessica helped him. Together they pulled Castiel back up, and when he was safe again, they dropped all on the snow, breathing heavily, and hearts racing fast.

"I had just paid off that sled," Castiel mumbled against the snow and right after that, Jess stood next to him, helping him back on his feet.

"Eh, I'll replace it?" Sam said, earning him another annoyed look from Castiel, and a worried one from Jess.


	5. I finally understand

**I**t had taken a lot of convincing from Jess for Castiel to finally agree to continue helping Sam. The man had argued, mourned his beloved sled, and cursed a lot, but in the end, Jess won. That was why Cas was now walking behind the two, sourly and angry at himself that he let go so easily.

No, he had nothing against Sam; he was actually even thrilled to see the boy again as soon as he entered the shop. But just one look into his hazel eyes made it clear that the Prince held not even a single bit of recognition for him. Castiel was a complete stranger, and so was Jess. The only good part about that was that Jess herself didn't remember Sam either, as both were too young at the time.

The only reason Castiel had such difficulties in travelling with Sam was knowing that at the end of this road, Dean awaited. Dean, who had broken his heart when he asked him to leave all those years back. Dean, who had seemed happy to see him at the coronation party, but still refused to resume whatever they had together.

Cas couldn't take more; being turned down two times was enough already, but if he would see Dean as soon as they found him, the King was going to be distant again, was going to shut him out again.

So, yeah, this whole adventure with Sam? Not a big fan of. Cas frowned the whole hike, ignoring the beauty of the snow around him, and when his horse came behind him and pushed him in the back with his head, Cas sighed.

In front of them, the two teenagers – because in the end, they still were only 18 years old – had no trouble in talking. It seemed naturally with them. Sam talked about books he read, about thinking that Dean had a fear of dirt before knowing that he actually wore the gloves for keeping his powers in. And Jess in turn talked about the adventures she and Cas had been on the past few years. Well, adventures was a strong word, but they had some strange encounters in the past, and those stories were worth telling to be honest.

When they arrived in a frozen forest, everybody got quiet, and stood still for a moment. The trees were all covered in snow, and hanging from the branches were long swings of frozen droplets. It was such a beautiful sight to see that even Castiel's mouth fell open.

"Wow," Sam said, walking past the slings and going through them with his gloved hand, hearing them cling together and making sounds like little bells. Jess followed him, imitating his acts and smiling at the music that nature produced. Castiel on the other hand continued to stand still, and took in the beauty of what was before him. Dean created all this art and no words could describe what Castiel felt inside. It made his chest ache a little, but he couldn't exactly say why.

"I never knew winter could be so beautiful," Sam said, still in awe by his surroundings.

It was Castiel who heard the voice first, jumping at the first sound of it.

"Yeah, it really _is_ beautiful, isn't it?" someone said. Castiel frowned again, looking at Jess.

"What?" she mouthed at him as soon as she noticed him, but then the voice continued.

"I mean, it's _so_ white!" it said, and now Sam heard as well. The three humans came standing next to each other, and looked around for the source, to see who was speaking. "But it could use a little color, something exciting!"

Still nobody came, and if the other two hadn't heard it as well, Castiel might have thought he got crazy.

"How about yellow? No, wait, yellow and snow, brrr! That's a no-go!"

Then it was silent, and the three stood still again, listening carefully. When Sam turned around again, he gasped a little bit, so Jess and Castiel checked to see what he was looking at, noticing a rather tall and thin snowman between them, smiling stupidly but not moving – as was normal.

But then it suddenly moved, bended forward a little and spread his arms. "Am I right?" he asked, and it was Jess who reacted first, yelling in panic and punching the snowman in the face, causing his head to fall off. It ended up in Castiel's arms, and it actually _greeted_ him.

"Eh, you're creepy," Castiel said, throwing it at Sam, who caught it as well, immediately throwing it back at Jess.

"I don't want it," she complained, and it ended up in Castiel's arms again.

"Right back atcha," he said, throwing the head back to Sam.

"Please don't drop me," the head begged.

"Come on, Jess, it's just a head," Sam said, and Jess once again got hold of it.

"Okay, we got off to a bad start," the head in Jess' hands said, and then the body of the snowman started walking, hands forward, in search for the source of the voice.

"Ew, ew! The body!" she said, and now she threw the head back on the body, eyes squeezed shut. The head slammed back onto its body in such a force that it fell down completely, wiggling its legs to stand back up. Then it got back to its feet, standing tall again, smiling. The only thing was that its head was upside down.

"Wait, what am I looking at right now? Why are you hanging off the earth like a bat?" it said, squinting his eyes, hands forward again.

"Wait just one second," Sam said, walking toward the snowman, grabbing its head and turning it back to normal.

"Oh, thank you! Now I'm perfect!" it said in excitement.

"Well, almost," Sam said, standing back up to walk to the horse, reaching for the bag with carrots.

In the meantime, the snowman walked back to Castiel and Jess, smirking and rolling his eyes.

"It was like my whole life got turned upside down," it said, and then it followed Castiel's gaze, looking back at Sam, who was just holding a carrot. The moment they were face to face, the Prince pushed the carrot in, and the snowman made a panicked noise. Jess jumped in shock, but in the end, they saw the snowman that was now… well… perfect. Castiel still tried to imagine _who_ would make a snowman this tall, this realistic, and how in Heaven it could even be alive like this.

"Oh! I always wanted a nose!" The snowman said, crossing his eyes in an attempt to look at the carrot, but obviously failing at it. He even started to turn around, which was pointless. Then it stood still, dropped its shoulders, and smiled at the three people staring at him.

"Now, let's start this thing over," it said, "hi everyone, I'm Garth, and I like warm hugs!"

Castiel saw something change in Sam's expression the moment Garth introduced himself, as if he were remembering something.

"Garth?" he asked, and the snowman nodded. "Of course! Garth!"

"And you are?"

"Oh, I'm Sam!" the Prince explained, putting his hand on his chest as an indication to point at himself. Then Garth turned to Jess and Castiel and the horse, who were standing next to each other.

"And who is the lady?"

"That's Jess." At the mention of her name, Jess bowed her head friendly.

"And who is the funky looking donkey over there?" Castiel saw Sam look up at them, looking at the horse between Jess and him. The brown horse had walked in the slings, and some of them got attached to its hair and ears. It looked very happy.

"That's Chuck," Jess explained, as neither she nor Castiel had ever introduced the horse to Sam.

"Uhu, and who's the horse?"

The three of them kept silent for a while, looking at each other. The horse, of course, was oblivious. He turned around again, and started playing with the slings, making more noise than before.

"Uh, that's Chuck," Sam said, coughing his answer. Jess mumbled a little 'awkward' in Castiel's ear, and the man shoved her lightly.

As it turned out, Dean and Sam build Garth for the first time when they were very young, The only thing Garth remembered was waking up, and seeing Dean walk away. Garth couldn't walk or talk yet, so it was only an hour after that that he could make his way. Garth, eager for adventure, went the other way, but knew where Dean was. Everybody gasped in relief when he agreed to show them the way.

When Garth asked why they needed to know all this, and Castiel explained that they wanted him to bring back summer, the snowman started talking about the season. In the meantime, they were walking again, and it was only when Garth was finished talking about his dreams of summer that Castiel spoke again, murmuring to Jess.

"I'm gonna tell him," he said, because obviously, the snowman had no idea that he would melt with heat. But as soon as he said so, Jess slapped him on his arm, looking at him with an angry expression.

"Don't you dare," she said.

* * *

Ruby seemed to know what she was doing.

Even though Bobby had been bitter about Sam's choice to put his newly-fiancé in charge instead of him, even he had to admit that Ruby was doing one hell of a job.

Bobby knew about the people of Helleth's Gates. They were ambitious people, determined to end up big and powerful. He knew about her sisters, each one married to another heir, all to-be Queens or even already rulers. The oldest of the sisters, Lilith, she had been hell-bent on making sure all her sisters would end up loaded, wealthy. It was a mystery to him why she would stop now with the youngest of them all.

Sure, Ruby wasn't an ugly girl. She had dark brown curls, longer than he'd thought now that she unbraided them, and her eyes were the same color of chocolate. He understood why Sam was attracted to her. She wouldn't have to be given away, she didn't need an arranged marriage, because she had the looks to find a man herself. So it bothered Bobby that he didn't know _why_ Lilith had stopped now. Why she would allow her sister to marry a Prince that wasn't even first in line.

Oh, Bobby remembered Meg, an older sister of Ruby. She had short blonde hair and an annoying grin all the time, and she was always able to counter each insult with a bigger one. She was a person that could hold her own and didn't need anyone.

People of her Kingdom – and Bobby, because he knew _everything_ – knew that she was shut out. The explanation was that she had run away, but Bobby knew better. Meg had a secret that came out. Lilith had been displeased, and banished her own sister because of it.

All because Meg had fallen in love with the _sister_ of the man she was meant to marry.

Bobby had never heard about anything like that before. A woman falling in love with another woman, it was rare, and it almost never happened. Of course, it could've happened more than one would think. That's why they were secrets after all.

Bobby was wondering if Meg's banishment had led to Lilith giving up; to not even care that her youngest sister would end up Queen or not.

Of course, looking at Ruby working now, he thought that she would've made a good queen. She could handle the pressure, assured the people that everything was going to be alright. She had given away blankets to everybody who needed one. She had offered shelter in the castle. There was soup and a warm meal offered in the ballroom. Even though the sudden winter came so unannounced, she had thought of everything that needed to be done, and that only at the age of sixteen.

Bobby was about to compliment her on her performance, when suddenly a white horse came running back into the plaza, causing the people that were on their way to the castle to back away, giving it enough space to pass.

The horse was obviously very frightened, panting heavily and almost unable to calm until Ruby put her gloved hand on its snout.

"Prince Sam is in trouble," she said, tone hard and worried. She turned her head to the people around her, and Bobby noticed that Crowley-man from before, tugging his two henchmen along to hear what the Princess had to say. "I need volunteers who want to join me in the search."

Crowley, who had been complaining about everything Ruby was doing – such as giving away all of Moondor's tradable goods to the citizens – was the first one to react, offering his two henchmen to go with her. Bobby only heard their name shortly, both of them starting with the letter 'A'. They didn't look friendly, and it wouldn't surprise Bobby if they ever had killed anyone before in their life.

A few other men agreed to join her, all gearing up and fetching their horses, When Ruby passed Bobby, she looked at him, but didn't say anuthing.

"Go bring them back, I'll hold down the fort until your return," he assured her. She nodded shortly, and then kicked her own horse, leaving the plaza along with the whole search party.

But despite everything good Bobby had seen Ruby doing today, his gut told him that she was bad news.

* * *

Sam didn't know how to climb mountains, but he could only try.

That was why, despite Castiel telling him not to, Sam took the first few steps towards the cliff, took hold of a rock, and tried to go up. The first rock he got under his foot broke off, and he got back down. After that he started again, crawling up, and up, panting hard, ignoring Castiel laughing at him, and eventually pressing his head against the stone.

"Please tell me I'm almost there," he said, short of breath. Castiel laughed hard, and when Sam turned around to look at him, he saw that he hadn't even mounted a little bit.

'Damnit," he mumbled.

That was when Garth came with a miracle. Sam had just gotten back to his feet, face red from trying and breath still coming fast, and then the snowman appeared from a bunch or trees, Jess behind him.

"Guys, I don't think if it's any help, but I found a staircase that leads to exactly where you want to go," he said, and Jess confirmed it, smiling wide and nodding to where they came from. Sam clapped his hands.

"Ah, thank God!" he exclaimed, slapping Castiel softly on the shoulder and moving past him. He didn't look at the man's reaction, but followed the two others without saying anything.

And Garth was right. Though at first the only way for them to get to the other side was to climb all the way, Dean had made it easy for them, building a staircase where the two mountains were separated. Up higher, on the top of the stairs, Sam noticed a whole palace, reflecting the sunlight. It looked amazing, completely made of ice. He dared to even bet that the others were as speechless as he was.

"This is heaven," Castiel muttered next to him, and Sam laughed. "I'm gonna cry," the man added, and now Sam shook his had, slapping him on the chest softly.

"Go ahead, I'm not going to judge," he offered, and he walked ahead, putting his foot on the first step. By the time the other two humans had joined him – the horse couldn't go up so he stayed behind – Sam heard Castiel almost fainting over how 'flawless' the ice was. Jess agreed, and Sam rolled his eyes. Those two were really a weird coulpe.

At least, Sam thought they were a couple. Why else would they spend all their time together? They knew everything about each other, they sometimes hugged. They had to be together, right?

When Sam got at the door of the palace, he hesitated, reaching his hand up to knock, but not actually doing it. All his life he had been knocking, begging for Dean to open. Who said he would open this time?

"Just knock," Garth assured, and Sam turned his head to him. Garth was smaller than him – everybody was – and he smiled all the time. He was exactly how he asked Dean to make him. They had made his ears with rocks, and his nose was again made with the smallest carrot of them all. He looked weird and clumsy, but he was really friendly.

"Why isn't he knocking?" he heard Garth whisper to Jess and Cas, and the two others only shrugged. "You think he knows how to knock?"

That earned Garth an eye roll from the Prince. Sam shook his head, and finally slammed his fists on the door, announcing his precense. The door opened immediately as if it hadn't even been closed, and a large room of ice made itself visible from behind it.

"Wow, it opened," Sam breathed out, frowning. "That's a first."

Then he saw Garth walking inside already, smile wide again. Sam grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him back.

"You three should better stay here, the last time I introduced him to someone he froze the place," Sam said, actually not even sure if it was a good idea of him to go alone. But, this was Dean. His brother would never hurt him, right?

"Oh, come on!" Jess almost yelled, grabbing her hair, and making big eyes. "It's a _palace_ made of ice! I love ice!"

"Sorry, I really think I should do this alone. Just give us a minute."

And with that, the three actually started counting when Sam walked inside, leaving them behind him. He looked around, and noticed a little fountain in the middle of the room, frozen water bend in graceful figures. This was so unlike Dean, who didn't like all those little details. It was beautiful, Sam thought.

"Sammy?" Dean's voice sounded so soft, but so strong at the same time. It was probably the echo from the big space.

Sam turned his head to the source of the voice. His eyes passed over another staircase, even more flawless than the one outside. On the top of it, Sam saw Dean standing.

"Wow," he said, looking at his brother. His clothes were lighter, shining in the sunlight that was sneaking in. His hair was messier, but it made him look more alive. On his face, he had a wide smile, and on his shoulders, he still had his cape – turned out he didn't hate it as much as he pretended to.

"Dean, you look great," Sam said, seeing how every bit of tension was out of his brother's face now that the secret was out. Dean had a little bit more color on his cheeks, his green eyes seemed to sparkle, and Sam knew how cliché that sounded, but he couldn't put it in different words. To make it all short, Dean seemed to be glowing, in a good way.

"Hello Sammy," Dean said, still staying upstairs, so it was Sam that took a few steps forward.

"And this place, it's amazing!" Sam added, looking around again and pointing at everything he could point at. Then he noticed the chandelier on the ceiling, which was a sight he didn't expect. "Not really _you_, you know, but still amazing."

At this, Dean took out his hands to stare at them, lips forming a tiny little smile. "Yeah, I didn't know what I was capable off, so I experimented a bit," he explained.

Sam nodded, and took his first step on the stairs, not noticing how Dean flinched back a tiny bit. "I'm so sorry about what happened, if I had known," he started, but Dean interrupted him, holding out his hands in a gesture to silence him.

"Sam it's okay," he said, and he took another step back. "You don't have to apologize." Then Dean made a half turn, looking at the little fountain he made on the lower floor. "You should probably go," he added.

"But I just got here?" He was trying it again; pushing Sam away. But this time, the younger Prince knew why, and he was determined not to let it happen again.

"You belong down in Moondor," Dean explained.

"So do you."

"No Sam, I belong here, alone. Where I can be who I am without being afraid of hurting anyone."

Oh, so Dean didn't know.

That was awkward.

"Actually, about that…" Sam said, biting his lip. That was the moment Garth actually counted to sixty, and yelled in excitement that he was coming in. The long thin and clumsy snowman then walked inside, waving at Dean and smiling his white teeth made of snow again.

"Hi I'm Garth and I like warm hugs!" he said.

"Wha- Garth?" Dean asked, eyes wide and mouth fallen open.

"You build me, don't you remember?" Garth said, standing next to Sam and pressing his fists against his hips and taking a heroic pose. The same pose Sam remembered from all those years ago.

"How are you alive?" Dean asked.

"Uh, I don't know," Garth said, giving a look at Sam who only shrugged.

"He's _just_ like the one we build as kids, remember?" Sam asked. "We were such good friends Dean, so close. We could be like that again?"

At that sentence, Dean's face got pale again, and his expression was one of pure terror. He shook his head, and took a step back again, hand waving at Sam dismissively.

"No Sam, we can't. Goodbye," he said, crossing his arms and walking away, deeper into the castle. That made Sam stand back up immediately, reaching out for his brother who was getting further and further away again.

"Dean wait!" Sam began.

"Sam! I'm only trying to protect you," Dean begged.

"You don't have to protect me, I'm not afraid!"

Sam made his pursuit, getting up the stairs, walking faster to join where Dean was.

"Please don't shut me out again, Dean!" Sam said. "I understand now, and we can work on this together." Dean only shook his head. "We can head down this mountain together Dean, you don't have to live in fear!"

"Damnit Sammy, leave me alone."

"No Dean, this time I will be right here."

A sigh escaped from Deans lips, and the King walked to the balcony, getting back outside and looked at the sun that was still low in the sky.

"Sam please, go back home, you have a life ahead of you," Dean said, pointing at the world in front of him. "I don't know, go enjoy the sun or something, open up the gates, that's what you always wanted?"

"Yeah Dean, I know but—"

"I know you mean well, but leave me here," Dean continued, not caring that Sam was saying something. "I might be alone here, but at least I'm free."

Sam joined Dean on the balcony and came to stand right next to him. When Dean noticed, he reacted shocked, jumping lightly and started to walk away again.

"Just go away, Sam. You'll be safe from me," Dean said.

"Actually, we're not," Sam said, biting his lips again and fidgeting with his gloves. In the end of the room he saw Garth walking up as well, but luckily the snowman remained where he stood.

"What do you mean you're not?" Dean asked, looking back at Sam abruptly, pushing the cape back and eyes hard.

"You really don't know about it?" Sam tried, not really daring to break the news to Dean.

"Sam, _what _do I not know about?"

"Well, eh…" Sam began, looking at his shoes and even chuckling at how speechless he was all of the sudden. "Moondor is kind of, you know, covered with snow?"

"What?"

"You kind of set off an eternal winter everywhere. Well, you know, it's too early to really say it's eternal, but you know what I mean," Sam said all at once, hands making big gestures as he spoke. "But you know, it'll be okay! You can just unfreeze it!"

Dean shook his head again, face looking scared. His shoulders seemed tense, and his hands were balled in fists. Then Sam saw the first snowflake starting to fall down. He had no idea where it came from, but he could believe that it was Dean who was creating it because he was freaking out.

"No I can't!" Dean yelled at him, "I don't know how!"

No, Sam didn't believe that. If Dean was able to make this beautiful – though slightly exaggerated – castle, he was also able to stop this winter he started.

"Of course you can do it," Sam assured him. He tried to walk closer, reaching out to his brother again. The King only turned his back to Sam, pressed his hands against his head and seemed to have his panic-attack. Sam had to stop it now.

"Dean, you don't have to live in fear, you can control this," Sam said, but with every word he spoke, the snow that fell multiplied. It didn't take long for the room to be filled with it, making it difficult for Sam to see his brother. He kept on trying, heard his brother mumble a few things.

"Dean, everything will be _fine!_" Sam pressed on. That seemed to be the last drop for Dean. The King removed his hands from his head, actually growled, and was actually shaking on the spot.

"I! FREAKIN'! CAN'T!" Dean yelled, and then a few things happened at once. All the snow that Dean made collected itself, as if Dean was absorbing it again. For a little moment Sam thought he figured it out, and he was actually smiling. But then a blue light seemed to emerge from within Dean, and out of nothing, sharp bursts of snow started shooting off everywhere. Sam saw one coming to him, but he didn't react quickly enough.

When the snow hit his chest, the first thing he felt was cold. Not only where he was hurt, but simply everywhere in his body. It was as if every single thing that helped him stay warm suddenly refused to work. Sam let out one big shudder after that, pressing his hand against his chest, and another one behind him. He had to kneel down because the force was too much, and his eyes were squeezed shut.

"SAM!" he heard Jess call from the other side of the room, and then a hand was helping him up again. Jess looked at Sam with worry in her eyes, and her hand pressed on his where he had rested it on his ribs, and somehow it brought Sam back to earth.

"Dean, what have you done?" asked Castiel's voice suddenly, and Sam saw the man walk closer to him as well. He seemed to share a look with Jess, as if they were having a silent conversation with each other, and then he turned to Dean. "Dean, please, calm down."

"Cas?" Dean asked, sounding wrecked. It took a little while for his eyes to leave Sam, and then the King was watching the man that helped the Prince travel here in the first place. They acted as if they knew each other already, but that wasn't possible. They didn't know anybody at all.

"Dean, love, please," Castiel begged, and then he took Dean by the arms, and forced him to look into his eyes. Jess and Sam watched in full confusion, but no-one dared to say a word. When another shoulder was suddenly helping him up, Sam realized Garth must have walked over as well.

"What are you doing here, Cas?" Dean asked, voice trembling. He lowered his head, but his eyes never left Cas's.

"Your brother came for my help, Dean," Castiel said. Dean didn't move, nor did he react in any other way. Sam's eyes flew even wider when the man holding his brother took out a hand to cup the King's cheek. For a little moment Dean leaned into the touch, but it didn't last long. Dean pulled out of Castiel's firm grasp, and held out his arms to keep the others away.

"Cas, take my brother away, keep him safe, please," Dean begged. "I need you to save my brother," he added. Then he tried to turn away again. Castiel didn't move at all, so Sam knew he had to say something.

"I'm not going! We can figure this out together, Dean!" Sam yelled. Jess started tugging at his arms while he spoke, as if urging him to shut up. Sam didn't pay any attention to it.

"_How_?!" The pulling on his arm became stronger and harder. "What power do _you_ have to stop this winter, Sam? To stop _me_?"

"Sam, we should really go," Jess urged on. Sam, who felt a little bit more stronger than before just pulled out of their grip, and made another step towards his brother.

"No, I'm not leaving without you, Dean," Sam said.

"Yes, you are," Dean said in a tone that made clear that this was final. He lowered his head, and pointed at the ground. Out of his fingertips, two small shots of ice came out, and as soon as they touched the ground, the place started rumbling.

Dean build another snowman.

Only this one was bigger.

_Way_ bigger.

Not to mention that it was ugly.

As soon as the giant snowman was finished growing, Castiel moved again, grabbing both Jess and Sam by the arm and pushing them back to the stairs. Garth followed them. When they were finally back at the door, the snowman had joined them, not even giving them the chance to open the door. It grabbed them in his big hands, used his hips to slam the door, and then he actually _threw_ them outside. The four of them finding a soft landing in the snow – or maybe not Garth, who was in pieces again.

"It's _not_ nice to throw people!" Sam yelled at the beast, preparing a snowball in his hands. Castiel saw what he was doing, and stood up to hold him back.

"Ow ow ow, feisty pants, relax and just calm down!" Castiel said, and then Jess was holding Sam too, and the Prince had a little trouble struggling.

"Allright, I'm okay," Sam muttered when they just wouldn't let him go.

"Just let the snowman be," Jess said in a calming voice. When Sam stopped struggling, the two let him go, and turned their backs to the castle. Then, Sam aimed, and threw the snowball at the monster.

It didn't seem to hurt him much, the way it hit on the snowman was actually rather anticlimactic, but it seemed enough for it to get a tantrum.

"Oh, now you made him mad," Castiel said irritated. Before any of them could say anything, the monster started screaming and sharp spikes of ice came out of its arms and legs. Then it ran after them.

Garth offered to hold him off, but he was still in pieces.

Jess, Castiel and Sam ran as fast as they could, but in the end, the snowman still reached them. It ordered them _not_ to come back.

Then it threw them off the cliff.


	6. Storytelling

So this chapter turned out longer than I'd expected. Beware, I put a song from the movie in this chapter because I don't know why. I'm just weird I guess. New character, hurray! :) A lot of storytelling happens in this chapter, Castiel tells his story to Sam and Jess, and we kind of learn the origins of Dean's powers. It's not that fancy, because I suck at writing mysterious things and all that, but at least we got a little bit of background information instead of just _not_ knowing about how Dean got his powers (because how the hell did Elsa receive her powers? Huh? Care to explain that, Disney?)

Please, review if you can, so at least I know that I'm doing a little bit of a decent job. The last few reviews I received were really inspiring and made me smile every time, so thank you for those! :) We're almost through the story though, and no, I'm not planning anything like a sequel or whatever, because I can hardly keep one story going when there's already a storyline ready for me...

Anyways, enjoy :)

Greetz, Emma

*EDIT*: there was a little typo that annoyed me, so I fixed it.

* * *

**Storytelling**

**An act of true love can thaw a frozen heart**

**I**t was like falling on a pillow, Sam had to admit.

He thought that the snow would be harder, more painful whey they would touch, but it was freshly fallen, untouched, and was soft as soon as Sam landed.

Still, the air had been pushed out of his lungs, and it felt as if he had been unconscious for a few hours, but the sky was still the same, and he saw Garth drop down as well, once again in pieces.

"This sucks," the snowman said as his body tried to crawl back up, and his head was lying face down. Jess was the first one to stand and she walked to Garth, picked up his head, and brought it back to his body. She seemed less disgusted by it now, as she had no trouble holding him in her hands.

"Are you okay?" she then asked, walking to Sam and pulling his arm to help him up. When Sam pushed on his legs to get to his feet, he suddenly felt weaker than before. He was shaking, his head felt like it was spinning, and his lungs suddenly refused any type of air. Sam slumped back against Jess, pulled himself together, and then got up at last. Jess didn't remove her hands from his arms, but he didn't quite care actually. Her touch was reassuring somehow. She smiled lightly at him, and he smiled back.

"I'm okay," Sam said, not really sure if he actually meant it. At this moment, he felt fine. His lungs were able to breathe again, his limbs weren't shaking anymore, and he could think clearly. Whatever he had quickly passed.

Then Jess turned her head, and Sam followed her gaze to where Castiel was lying on the ground, back against the snow and arm behind his head. He didn't make any indication that he was going to stand up. It was as if he was only resting.

"Cas?" she asked, but the man didn't answer. He only sighed loudly, closed his eyes, and nodded. Then he pushed himself in a sitting position, and looked straight ahead, though there was nothing in front of him except for snow.

"Maybe we should give him a minute?" Sam offered. Jess agreed, and both they and Garth sat down again. It was then that Sam noticed Chuck the horse wasn't there with them. Poor horse was left behind at the castle, probably scared out of his mind by the giant snowman that had chased them away.

"Cas, how do you know Dean?" Jess suddenly asked. Sam turned his head to her, and thought about her question. She was right, how _did _Castiel know his brother? Why did his brother only calm down when the man grabbed him by the arms?

The man didn't answer other than to lower his head and taking another deep breath. He pulled his knees up, and threw his arms around them. Then he rested his chin on his wrists. His silence continued.

"Cas?" Sam and Jess both asked at the same time. This time, though, they got a reaction from him.

"We met when I was five," Castiel said, voice lower than it'd ever been. "The men allowed me to join them to the castle as they were making a delivery, and Dean found me wandering around. We became friends right away."

The look in Cas's eyes was blank. The blue of his irises lost almost all color as he was talking.

"I was invited to play with Dean often after that, and as soon as you two were four, you joined us. You two got along so well it was as if it was meant to be or something," Castiel continued. Sam looked at Jess, and Jess looked at him, brows lifting but neither commenting on Castiel's words. "Even after all those years you two have _no_ problem at all to talk to each other, so that's actually quite amazing."

Now it was silent for a few seconds.

"A while after that, you and Dean had an accident. I don't know really what happened, Dean refused to tell me, but I know that you got hurt Sam. You got hit by his ice, and you were knocked out. Your parents took you to the forest to search for help, Jess and I saw you passing and followed you

"You were pale as ice, and as cold as well. They healed you up, brought you back to the castle, and all of the sudden Dean wasn't allowed to go outside anymore.

"The only way for me to visit your brother was to sneak in, because your parents told me it was safer to stay away. I still continued visiting him despite their warnings. Your brother was very special to me, and I couldn't give up his friendship."

"Dean kept on asking why I continued my visits, but I couldn't really answer him. I didn't know myself.

"When I was about fifteen years old, your brother was sixteen, I finally understood why," Castiel said.

Sam didn't have to think about it. He remembered what Castiel called Dean back in the castle. _Dean, love, please…_ He had plain out said it, but Sam hadn't thought about it. Only now it all came together.

"You were in love with him," he stated. When Castiel nodded, Jess took a deep breath of shock. "But I thought you and Jess were together?" Sam added, to which Jess snorted.

"Don't be so stupid, Cas is like my brother!" Jess said immediately, and Sam's face turned red from shame, realizing only now that, indeed, they had never done things as holding hands or kissing or whatever… When he looked back at Cas, he saw that the man shook his head, but didn't say anything about it. He just continued his story.

"As soon as I understood, I kissed him," he said, face getting paler with every word he was speaking. "He kissed me back, and I think from then on, we were… I don't know what we were, but there was _something_.

"After a year, Dean had managed to stay on control of his powers for a long time, and he announced that he was ready, so we took our relationship to the next level."

Sam wasn't sure he wanted to hear about how his brother and this man had performed in sexual intercourse. His face pulled a little bit in a disgusted expression, and Castiel chuckled at that.

"I won't go into detail, let's just say that, while we were busy, Dean lost control after all. I don't really remember what he did, only that I was in a lot of pain. After that, Dean sent me away, told me never to come back.

"I obeyed; only saw him again last night. I thought that, after all those years he could've changed his mind. But he didn't, and I left again."

"So _that's_ why you never like to talk about anything related to the castle?" Jess asked, and Castiel nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, Jess, Dean and I are both men," Castiel answered in an irritated voice. "Nothing like us has ever happened before!"

"Not that we know of," Sam said. At that Castiel looked up in surprise, watching the younger Prince closely. "If you two kept it hidden, others probably did too?"

"Could be," Castiel muttered.

"Eh, Sam?" Jess began.

"I mean, okay yeah, I did _not_ want to hear that you and my brother actually had sex with you," Sam continued undisturbed.

"Sam?"

"But in the end, you love him, and if he keeps on pushing you away, at least that means he loves you too, right?"

"Sam!" Jess now yelled, and only then Sam turned to her. She was pointing at his head and frowning. "Your hair is turning white!"

That didn't make sense. Yes, Sam had always had this lighter lock of hair – his parents told him it suddenly came when he was about four years old. Hadn't Jess noticed it before now?

"Eh, Sam, she's right," Castiel added. He crawled closer to him, and took his long locks in his hand. Sam followed his action, and saw indeed that the hair there was no longer brown.

It was white.

"It's because he struck you, isn't it?" Jess asked. Nobody could answer at that. Garth, next to them – who had been awfully quiet – only shrugged at it when they looked at him.

"It's not because I am a snowman that I know all the mysteries of frozen water," he said, rolling his eyes.

Sam now shook his head, and stood up again. But like the last time, he had trouble getting back to his feet. Sam slumped back down, and fell on his ass. His hand reached for his head immediately, and he felt dizzy again.

"I know somebody who can help," Cas said. Then he turned around, and sighed. "Where is that damn horse when you need him?" he cursed, but there was no small miracle. Where-ever Chuck was, it wasn't here. "Let's get you back on your feet; we need to do another little hike."

"You mean those love-experts you were talking about on the sleigh ride?" Sam asked, not really convinced. Cas only held his head high, and smiled despite his difficult confession earlier.

"_Yes_, the love-experts," he said, nodding forward and indicating the others to follow him.

And at that, the four started walking all the way back in the direction of Moondor.

"I like to consider myself some a love-expert," Garth added proudly.

* * *

Ruby couldn't remember the last time that she felt this cold.

Winters in Helleth's Gates were rare; it was mostly a hot climate, and the summers were mostly murderous. Here, it was the biggest contrast. Every little bit of land was covered in snow. The sky was white, the sun nowhere to be seen.

They had been searching for Sam for what felt like hours, but not a single thing indicated that he passed here. Ruby was almost on her way to give up and return home – hoping that the Prince would return – until she noticed the castle at the top of a mountain. At first she wouldn't have noticed it, but while she was walking, the sunlight reflected on the ice, causing a strong light in her view.

She pointed her sword to the castle, indicating the people behind her that they had to go there.

And they followed.

Because, even if she couldn't find the Prince, at least they could negotiate with the King to undo the curse.

Because that was the only way she could save Moondor.

* * *

To say it in only one sentence; Dean was having a panic attack.

He had his hands in his hair most of the times, he walked around endlessly, muttering to himself to keep it in, and forced whatever power that caused this curse to turn back, to undo the spell he put on the whole Kingdom.

But it was no use. The curse was stronger than him. It had always been stronger.

A dark shadow spread across the castle, taking over the walls and floors. It no longer looked inviting, but actually terrifying. Any joy he had in building this palace came dripping out, became possessed by the shadow of his fear until nothing was left.

And when there was almost no sign of what he previously build, he looked up, saw the castle that became dark, and breathed out heavily.

"This is pointless!" he yelled, making fists and then actually slamming his hand against the wall, causing the whole palace to tremble. It didn't break down, luckily. But at least, Dean got lost of his anger for now.

He sat down, looked at his hands, and sighed loudly.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you, dad," he said. "I hurt Sammy, _again_."

It was silent around him. He was all alone.

Or not really. When he heard the large snowman yell again, he knew there were intruders. Would it be Sam again? Would his younger brother really risk his life to come back here?

He was wrong, of course he was. The people that were closing in were all obviously coming from the kingdom. They all had swords drawn out, and were in fighting position. The snowman kicked a few men away, got his leg chopped off, and almost threw Ruby off the cliff. When Dean saw that she was okay, he turned away again, hoping that nobody had seen him.

But they had, because Dean's life was a big disappointment when it came to hoping. Dean heard them kick open the door, and they followed him on the stairs, obviously not slipping on the ice of the castle. Dean panicked; yes, he made this castle, but even he didn't know all the rooms and hallways. He only ended up where they had been earlier; where Dean hit Sam, _again_.

When the two men – Dean recognized them as Duke Crowley's henchmen – caught up to him, Dean realized his life was one train wreck after the other.

"Leave me alone!" Dean yelled, trying his best to keep the ice in. He was very close to lose control. One of the men walked around him, and Dean followed him with his eyes, only to realize then that it was probably a way to distract him. As soon as he turned his head back to the first one, he heard the arrow being shot. Out of reflex he raised his hands up and a shield of ice followed his movements, causing the arrow to get caught in it, the point only barely touching Dean's face. Dean jumped back in panic, heard the other man raising his crossbow as well, but Dean didn't give him a chance. He shot spikes of ice at him, getting him trapped against the wall, unable to shoot anything again. The other man had reloaded, but once again, Dean was faster. He launched another shot at him, hitting him on the shoulder. The man grunted in pain, but kept standing. Though his weapon was lowered, he was still walking up to the King.

"Go! Away!" Dean yelled, focusing his attention to the ice-shield in front of him, and moving it away, towards the man that was still standing. His face, which was unappealing and every bit unfriendly as could be, looked in shock. The grin he had on his face disappeared when the shield reached him and pushed him back, sliding him to the balcony and not stopping to push.

It was when Ruby came up that Dean regained himself, that he noticed he was doing something very wrong.

"King Dean, don't be the monster they fear you are!" Ruby had yelled, and Dean dropped his hands, gasping for breath as he turned around to look at his brother's fiancé. She was a smart one, that Ruby. And she was also right. If Dean had thrown that man over the balcony, he would have killed him. That was something he couldn't forgive himself for.

"Azazel!" the man on the balcony yelled at his companion, but Dean didn't react. His eyes were still on the Princess, on her strong face, her long brown curls, as if he didn't believe she was really here. When Ruby looked at something next to Dean, the King still didn't move.

"No!" she then yelled. Her eyes looked up for a short second, it was so subtle that dean almost hadn't noticed, and then she was running at something behind Dean. The King followed her movements, only to see the other henchman, Azazel as it turned out, holding out his crossbow and pointing it at Dean. The King loosened his shoulders, and let go of his fists. It was too late anyway for Ruby to stop him. Azazel was ready to shoot, and Dean didn't have any more fight left in him.

But then Ruby grabbed the man's arm just at the moment that he was shooting, and she pointed the weapon up, at the ceiling. Dean followed the arrow to see it crash.

_I shouldn't have made that damn chandelier,_ Dean then thought, silently cursing himself when the ice that was holding the enormous thing up broke, causing it to fall down, of course right above where Dean was standing. _Outstanding_! Immediately, Dean turned around, facing back to the door where a few citizens of Moondor were standing, reaching out for the King.

Dean felt his heart beat in his ears, and just when he thought he was almost there, that he was almost safe, he slipped over the ice.

When he touched the ground – quite _hard_ actually – everything went black.

* * *

"Are you cold?"

Sam looked up at Jess, not realizing he had been shivering loudly only until then. He had his arms crossed, fingers pinching his skin to keep any feeling, and his teeth were clattering.

"It appears so, yeah," Sam said, and just when he thought he saw Jess opening up her arms to embrace him, she seemed to change her mind. Sam tried not to let that strange disappointment show.

"Here, the geysers are warm," she said as she held out her arms over a hole in the ground. Sam saw some sort of smoke coming out of it, and now he was curious.

When he put his hands next to Jess' over the geyser, he felt the heat sinking back into his bones, and he actually moaned of pleasure. Jess giggled at his reaction.

"Try to keep the inappropriate sounds away please," Castiel said when he passed by, a stupid grin on his face. He crossed his arms and had one eyebrow raised when he looked between Sam and Jess.

Jess slapped him on the arm again and looked actually irritated. "Stop it, you're obnoxious," she said, and Sam didn't really understand why she was so defensive.

In the meantime, Garth was talking about the stars and the sky, muttering nonsense about the sky being awake. He had his head so deep between his shoulders that it fell off. Sam kept close to the geyser for a while, and Jess walked up to the snowman to help him get back to his head.

"Okay listen, before we go in, well you know, these friends," Castiel started, and then he stopped, searching for his words.

"They're more like family," Jess then said instead, putting Garth back together and getting a thankful hug from the snowman. She patted his shoulder, hoping he would let go soon.

"Yeah, exactly," Cas said, and now they resumed walking. Sam was warmed up enough to survive for a little while longer.

"Let us just warn you that they could be… loud," Jess said.

"And pushy."

"And inappropriate."

"Also stubborn."

"At times a little overbearing."

"And heavy," Cas concluded, "like, really _really_ heavy!"

"Eh," Sam said, not really understanding where this all came from all of the sudden.

"You know, you'll get it as soon as you see them," Jess said. "They're everything we have. They took us in after we got away from the orphanage, and they took care of us."

"Well, if they took good care of you, I'm sure they are one heck of a family," Sam said reassuringly, putting a hand on both Cas' and Jess' shoulders and smiling at them.

The two nodded, walked forward rather fast, and spread their arms when they reached their destination.

"Let us introduce you to our family," Jess said, smiling as she stood there.

They were rocks.

Round, dirty rocks. Lying variously around on the ground. And the two were looking at them, actually started to talk to those rocks as if they were living.

"They're crazy," Garth huffed next to Sam, and Sam couldn't agree more, only, he couldn't move. He was so surprised with the turn of events that he just kept on looking at the rocks as if somehow they would jump from the ground and actually speak.

"Okay Sam, because I care for you, I insist you run while I'll distract them," Garth then added, walking up to a rock and caressing it gently. "Hello Chuck's and Jess's family! It's so nice to meet you!" he said, pressing his snowy face against the rock.

"_Run_, Sam," he whispered over his shoulder before caressing the rock again. "I understand your love-expertise," he added.

When, Garth turned back around, he frowned, holding out his hands in surprise.

"Why aren't you running?" he asked, and that seemed to shake Sam from the shock. He shook his head, pressed his eyes close and took a deep breath.

"Okay, so, I think I'll just go now," Sam said, and he was already starting to turn away when suddenly a loud and deep rumbling came from the ground. When Sam looked around, he saw the stones trembling. Garth stood back up in shock, removing his hands from the moving stones in fear. He then ran back to Sam and hid behind him.

Out of those rocks, suddenly little creatures appeared. Their skins still looked like made of stone, and they all had green hair and big noses. They were round, and all stood in front of Jess and Cas.

"Jess and Cas are home!" one yelled, and the others repeated the words, one by one walking closer to the two, arms wide. One of them jumped in Castiel's arms, and the man had trouble keeping it up. Jess' smile only grew wider.

"Jess and Cas are home!" Garth repeated as well, now standing between two other trolls. Then he frowned. "Wait, Cas?" he asked, looking at another troll that nodded at him.

The reunion between the two and the trolls was as any family would act with each other after not seeing each other for a while. One troll wanted to look at them, check if they were healthy. Another offered to wash their clothes – which they politely declined so they didn't have to walk around naked.

"Listen, it's really nice to see you all, but we need to speak to Joshua," Cas said, and at that Sam raised his eyebrows. There trolls had very normal names, then? Who knew?

"He's napping," another troll said, a smaller one – probably a kid. And then, to Sam's disgust, they started showing off things like mushrooms, fire-crystals, and another one his kidney stones. It wasn't at all appealing, and now he understood why Castiel and Jess had been a little bit reluctant to introduce them to him.

"So, your family are actually trolls?" Sam asked, walking up to the others and actually smiling too.

At the sound of Sam's voice, all the trolls turned around to him, strangely all at the same time. Big round eyes were staring at him, blinking totally in sync, and face full of surprise.

Then, out of nothing, a female troll started squeeling.

"Jess brought home a man!" she said, making her round and tiny hands into fists and bringing everybody along with her enthusiasm. Before he could react, the trolls pulled him closer until he stood next to Jess.

"What's going on?" he asked, and Jess only sighed and shook her head in embarrassment.

"I learned to just roll with it," she explained. And right then Sam was abruptly pulled down on his knees.

"Let me look at you, dear," the troll said, putting her round hands on his cheeks. "Bright eyes, working nose, strong teeth!" she exclaimed with her stony fingers in his mouth, which, by the way, ew! "Yes yes! He'll do great for our little Jessica!"

"Wait what?" they both said at the same time, not really expecting them to come to this conversation.

"Oh God no, you got the wrong idea," Jess said, sounding even more embarrassed now. Her face was flushed, and she put her hair behind her ear, taking off her hat. "That's not why we brought him here," she continued.

"Yeah, you see, we-" he couldn't continue his sentence.

"What's the issue dear? Why are you holding back from such a sweet girl?" the troll interrupted, and honest to God they began singing.

And Sam wasn't hallucinating. They were actually _singing_.

"Is it the clumpy way she walks?" the same troll started, jumping from one foot to another.

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Castiel muttered, putting his hands against his mouth to keep himself from laughing.

"Or the grumpy way she talks?" another one, a male, added.

"Or the pear-shaped, square-shaped weirdness of her feet?" a third one sang, at that, Jess actually looked irritated.

"Hey, stop it!" she said angrily. The trolls ignored

"And though we know he washes well she always ends up sort of smelly. But you'll never meet a woman who's as sensitive and sweet!"

Oh, no, Sam thought as he lowered his head and sighed. The trolls kept on singing about Jess being a fixer-upper, that she had a few flaws, so what? Sam felt sorry for her when he saw Jess' face got even redder than before.

"This is not about _me_!" Jess tried to say, but they didn't give her a chance and continued singing.

"You can fix this fixer-upper up with a little bit of love!" they sang, and now both Sam and Jess looked at each other in horror. This was _so_ embarrassing that he hoped Dean would never find out about it.

"Can we please just stop talking about this? We've got a real, actual problem here." Jess yelled.I

"I'll say! So tell me, dear," another troll asked Sam, "Is it the way that she runs scared?"

"What?" Jess asked in a squeaky voice.

"Or that she's socially impaired?"

"I think you are mistaking her by my in that case," Cas corrected.

"Or that she only likes to tinkle in the woods?" A kid asked.

"I did not need to know that," both Sam and Castiel said, turning their heads away.

"Are you holding back your fondness due to her unworldly blondness?"

"Or the way she covers up that she's the honest goods?"

"She's just a bit of a fixer-upper, she's got a couple of bugs!"

"No I don't!" Jess yelled while scratching her hair.

"Her isolation is confirmation of her desperation for healing hugs!"

"Oh," Sam said, actually thinking that was kind of adorable. Jess tried to smile a little while maybe ten trolls were hugging her.

"So she's a bit of a fixer-upper, but we know what to do the way to fix up this fixer-upper is to fix her up with you!"

"Okay, ENOUGH!" Jess snapped, gently shoving the trolls off of her. "He is engaged to someone else, okay?!"

And then it was silent for a little while. The trolls were thinking. They walked to each other, formed a circle, and hunched forward. Sam couldn't hear what they were talking about, and he shot another look at Jess.

"So he's a bit of a fixer-upper, his brain's a bit between! Get the fiancé out of the way and the whole thing will be fixed!" the trolls then yelled. Jess rolled her eyes, dropped her face in her hands and sighed loudly.

"We're not sayin' you can change her, 'cause people don't really change. We're only saying that love's a force that's powerful and strange."

The troll now singing to Sam took hold of his hands and looked at Jess. Sam followed her gaze, and when their eyes met, she shrugged lightly. Sam smiled at her, and the troll seemed to like that.

"People make bad choices if they're mad, or scared, or stressed. Throw a little love their way!"

"Throw a little love their way!" a few other trolls sang in the background. "And you'll bring out their best!"

"True love brings out the best! Everyone's a bit of a fixer-upper, that's what it's all about!"

"Father! Sister! Brother! We need each other to raise us up and round us out."

"Everyone's a bit of a fixer-upper, but when push comes to shove."

"The only fixer-upper fixer that can fix a fixer-upper is," Garth rapped. That treacherous snowman…

"True! Love!" they all sang, both words repeating and repeating. It almost didn't seem like they would stop! When Sam and Jess were then finally pressed together again, the Prince saw Castiel in the back, laughing as if he hadn't ever seen something as funny.

"Do you, Jessica, take Sam to be your troll-fully wedded-" a troll began.

"Wait, what?!" both said, frowning again. Sam noticed then that they were holding each other's hands and quickly let go, flushing a little bit.

"Wha- you're getting married!" the troll said as if it was obvious. And at that moment, the cold that Sam had forgotten about came rushing back up, leaving him shivering again. He slumped back, and Jess caught him before he would fall. Castiel in the meantime came walking back up to them, all sign of laughing gone.

"Sam, your hair is turning whiter!" he said as he put Sam's arm over his shoulder. The Prince dropped his head for a little moment, and let out a moan of unease.

To Sam's surprise another troll came rolling up, standing still in front of the three. He looked older, wiser. His green hair was grey, and he had wrinkles on his stone skin.

"There is strange magic here," the troll, Sam assumed it was that Joshua-troll Castiel was asking for earlier. The troll's eyes landed on Sam and he gestured him to come closer, holding his hand.

"Sam, you are in grave danger," the troll said, causing the other trolls to join him in his worried expression. "You have ice in your heart, put there by your brother."

"Is there something you can do?" Jess asked, but Joshua shook his head.

"No, dear, if it was his head, that would be easy," he said, and Sam dreaded the words already. "But with his heart, only an act of true love can save him," he added.

Sam tried to look up, but he felt too weak. His head fell against Jess' shoulder, and he struggled over his words.

"Do you-" he began, closing his mouth again. "D-do you know how D-Dean became like this?" Sam asked. The troll looked at him in surprise.

"Your brother was born like this, Sam," Joshua said. "One of your ancestors must have been from the Enchanted Forests to have passed on a power like that."

"But powers like this one are unseen of?" Castiel asked.

"When Mary was pregnant, the winter was hard, very cold. There were many snowstorms, no-one dared to go out. The day Dean was born, the storm suddenly stopped."

"So, what, he absorbed the weather or something?" Jess asked, not really believing what she was hearing.

"You could call it like that," Joshua said. "The ice manifested itself inside your brother, and after a while, it came out without him having control of it."

Sam tried to nod, but his eyes only closed as he slumped back against the two holding him.

"Okay, enough storytelling today, we need to get you to Ruby," Jess said, and Sam ignored how Castiel was looking at her in confusion. Mostly because he himself wasn't really paying attention.

"Oh, yeah, Ruby," he muttered.

"Do we have a horse or anything here that could give us a ride?" Castiel asked.

"Well, yeah, ever since he was cursed by the witches of the Enchanted Forests, Gabriel has been spending time here," another troll said.

"Gabriel?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, you know, little guy, quite annoying, talks a lot?" was explained.

"He was _cursed_?" Jess and Castiel both asked at the same time.

"Tried to flirt with a witch back there, she didn't like it," the troll answered as if it weren't that big a deal.

"When did this happen?"

"A few weeks back, right after you two left again."

After that, it was silent. Castiel agreed to bring Gabriel – who had apparently been turned into a reindeer – along, helped Sam on the animal and then Jess too.

When Castiel turned around to help Garth up too, the snowman was standing there petting Chuck. The horse Chuck. Where had _he _come from? The horse still seemed spooked, but didn't appear to be running away anytime soon. Castiel approached him, putting his hand on the beast's snout and looking it into his eyes.

"Okay buddy, we're going to need you again tonight," he said, and the horse only shook his head before walking forward to allow Garth and Castiel to hop on as well.

"Where to, Cassieboy?" a new voice asked, and Sam looked down at the reindeer who was staring at the man on the horse. So great, the reindeer could talk now too?

"Back to Moondor," he said, nodding at Jess when she looked at him questioningly. Jess took off her hat and put it on Sam's head, warming him up a little bit.

"We'll get you there safely," she said, pressing a soft kiss to his hair before instructing Gabriel to move. The man-turned-reindeer of course protested a little bit.

"I'm not just some way of transportation, missy, I have feelings too, you know," he said, putting his head high. It was really weird to see a reindeer talk.

"I'm sorry Gabriel, now will you move your ass so we can safe someone?" she asked, and Gabriel snorted, shaking his head and started walking.

"Bossy," he said. "I like it!" And every bit of Sam that was wondering where the two met Gabriel was sinking away as he listened to the reindeer talking about things that got more stupid by the minute.

This was going to be a long ride back home.


	7. True Intentions

**True intentions**

**If only there was someone out there who loved you**

**_D_**_ean knew how lucky he was._

_As he was sitting on his throne, he watched the citizens of Moondor walk by, one by one, and each of them bringing him a token of gratitude for keeping the kingdom so healthy. Because Dean was indeed a very good King._

_Not the best, of course not, Dean didn't have that much of an ego, but he had to admit that he did a very good job at keeping the economy up, make sure he knew everybody that lived there, and there was no indication that a war was starting. Dean was a social King, made good jokes about things – which made everybody laugh – and, even though he denied it most of the times, he was easy on the eyes. The ladies all went on their knees to pray for him to notice them._

_Yes, Dean was lucky, because no other King was loved like that; not even his father._

_The audience with the people was running to an end. Dean listened to the last person – a baked who brought him the most delicious apple pie he ever tasted. Dean offered him money to pay for the food, but the man declined. After that, he humbly retreated, and the other citizens bowed for him, then waved and made their way out without making a fuzz of not having the chance to see him today. They always had tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and so forth._

_"__Another good hearing," Dean heard from behind him, and the King turned his head around to see his little brother come up to him with a smile on his face. The Prince was as always freakishly tall, but luckily still smaller than the throne, and he held a little toddler in his arms. Dean smiled as well when he saw the boy's face looking at him. He had short blonde hair, light blue eyes and a few freckles on his cheeks. It wasn't Sam's kid, but Dean's. So the King opened up his arms to take the child from his brother, and the boy snuggled against his chest, took hold of his shirt and didn't want to let go. Dean felt a warm feeling inside when the boy did that._

_"__Hello Jonathan," Dean said, kissing the toddler on his cheek. The boy didn't answer – he almost never talked – and just pressed his face against Dean's chest. The King was used to it; he was just very shy when someone else was in the room. Only with both his parents around, Jonathan dared to make a lot of noise. Sadly, he wasn't yet used to Sam, and though he never protested when his uncle held him, he didn't dare to look at him just yet – probably because, you know, his height and all._

_"__He ate everything on his plate, and after that he just went to play with his toys. He was really calm," Sam said, and it didn't surprise Dean at all. He pressed another kiss in the little Prince's hair and started walking away from the throne, going into the hallway with his brother and son._

_"__Do you know when they will be back from Hea'Vens Bridge?" Dean asked while trying to remember how many hours it had taken him to visit their neighbor-Kingdom._

_"__They should have arrived by now. I guess it'll take about thirty minutes to unload en return to the castle?" Sam answered, and Dean nodded. Then the three continued their way in silence. Dean stroke Jonathan's back, whispered soft things to his young son, and Sam watched him with fascination and surprise, as always. Dean understood him though. Dean had always been a rough guy, never daring to show any emotions or softness for others. But as soon as he got married, and when little Jonathan here came to their life, all of that pretending disappeared slowly._

_"__Stop watching kiddo, one of these days it'll be your turn," Dean said without looking at his brother. Sam chuckled, face coloring red and looking down._

_"__Well yeah, she's indeed very close," Sam said, and Dean heard how proud he sounded. When Sam got married, Dean had never felt happier for anybody else in his life. Sam deserved it, the beautiful wife, the perfectly healthy kid, the peaceful life without any worries._

_Oh, Dean never really understood how they ended up here, but they did; All of them very happy, healthy, and loved. _

_"__Well, I'm going to put Jonathan in bed, he looks like he's going to fall asleep on the spot," Dean said, nodding at his brother. Sam hummed his agreement, and continued walking, probably going back to his pregnant wife. Dean turned around the corner, walked up the stairs, and kept on stroking Jonathan's back while he moved. The boy sighed softly._

_"__Here we are," Dean said when he arrived to Jonathan's room. The boy looked up slowly, outstretched his arms and yawned. "You had a good day?"_

_"__Yes daddy," Jonathan said. The boy smiled at his father, and pressed a little kiss on the King's cheek before being put into the crib. Dean tugged him in, put the covers over him, and kissed him goodnight again. Jonathan's eyes were already closed, and if Dean didn't know better, he'd think he was sleeping._

_After that, Dean walked down to the kitchen to catch dinner. Normally they all ate together, but today not everybody was home. Sam and Jonathan already ate, probably with Sam's wife as well. Dean was very hungry, so he took a plate – despite the worker's protests that they would do it. He served himself the food he wanted, went to sit on the table, and ate in silence. He gestured the workers to take something as well, and they complied, happily that this King allowed them to eat in his presence. _

_It was one hour later when Dean cleaned up, taking the plates of the workers as well, to their surprise (they never got used to Dean doing their work). They had been talking most of the time, talking about the welfare of the kingdom, suggestions for changes, and then Dean wanted to know about them, because besides the castle they had a life too, right?_

_After that, Dean went to the bathroom to wash himself; he asked if someone would warm the water for him about twenty minutes ago. Now a whole tub was filled with water, and Dean smiled at that. He got out of his clothes without further ado, prepared a cloth to dry himself off later on, and lay down in the tub, scrubbing his skin clean. He took his time because he didn't want to go back to his room rushing. He knew who would be waiting there for him, and he liked to tease a little bit._

_After another fifteen minutes though, the teasing seemed too much, and the door of the bathroom opened. Dean knew immediately who it was, so he didn't cover up. He started whistling a tune he himself didn't even recognize, and scrubbed his arms once more, even though they were as clean as they could be._

_The sound of rustling made clear that his visitor was removing clothes as well, and Dean was proven right when another body joined him in the tub, sitting behind him and pressing hands against his shoulders. Then Dean felt soft lips on his back, and it tickled._

_"__You really need to shave," Dean said, and at that, Cas chuckled. His husband put his chin over Dean's shoulder and Dean leaned back, both of them enjoying the water on their skin. _

_"__How did Jonathan do today?" Cas asked, pressing another line of kisses against Dean's neck. The King threw his head back and moaned at the soft touches. _

_"__He's still shy around Sam, but he'll get used to him real soon I think," Dean said. _

_Dean and Castiel found Jonathan as a newborn baby at a shipwreck. His mother had still been holding him, protecting him even after death. They took the boy home, checked him for injuries, and ever since then, Jonathan lived with them. _

_"__How was it in Hea'Vens Bridge?" Dean asked his husband, shoving forward to turn around so he could see him. Castiel whimpered at the loss of contact, but didn't initiate any movement to crawl back to him. Dean took the washing cloth, held Castiel's arm in his left hand, and started washing him while staring him in the eyes. _

_"__Oh, you know, just another visit to show that we're still allies," Castiel said as if it was nothing. "Though they didn't know how to address me properly, so they just kept it to 'your majesty' and stuff like that," he added. Now Dean cleaned his other arm and Castiel observed how he worked._

_"__Why were they confused?"_

_"__Well, the wife of the King is called a Queen, but what about the husband of a King? Is he King as well?" Castiel asked, and Dean rolled his eyes and smirked at him._

_"__Of course, Cas. You're King of Moondor," Dean reassured him. Castiel smiled now too, looking down as if he was ashamed. Dean shook his head and kissed him softly on the lips._

_When they were done, they got out of the tub, dried themselves off, and walked to their bedroom to dress back up in looser clothes. It wasn't night yet, and they weren't tired, so sleeping was out of the question for now._

_Of course, first they spent about an hour on bed, just talking to each other, not yet bothering to dress up because it was only them. Cas told him about what special happened today, and Dean explained what gifts they received today, about that damn good pie, and about Sam becoming a father really soon._

_Castiel was sitting up, Dean sat behind him, and the covers were spread over them, keeping them warm enough. Dean was content just like they were now, sitting close, and breathing in each other's scent._

_"__I love you," Castiel said._

_"__I love you too," Dean answered, and then he opened his eyes…_

… And found himself on a hard bed in a small and dark room. He was out of breath, couldn't move for a moment, and his eyes couldn't see clearly at first. Totally disoriented, the King tried to sit back up, and ignored the ache in his whole body. Where was he? How much time had passed? What actually happened and what had been a dream?

Then Dean looked around, and recognized the place he was in. He had never been here before, but he knew where he was. Of course he did, he would have put himself here as well if it had made any difference to the current situation. He didn't need to look down to know his hands were bound. He could feel the metal touching his skin, getting colder and colder without hurting him, but still able to keep him bound to the chains. He didn't try to break free; it was useless.

Dean looked at his prison cell, but couldn't really see much as the light wasn't really spreading over the whole room. There was a small window that gave away something bright, but Dean knew it was only the snow that was reflected by the sun. He knew that there was only the image of a cold winter over Moondor in the view of that window, and after that dream, Dean wasn't yet ready to see what he had caused to his kingdom – the kingdom he had promised to protect not one day ago. How everything got so messed up in just 24 hours was a really disturbing thought.

That dream had felt so real, but it was just that; a dream. Never could he return to the castle. Never could he receive visits from the citizens without the fear of hurting them. His friendship with his brother had been ruined ever since Dean hit him in the head all those years ago, and there was no possible way he could find happiness like that with Castiel. Not that he didn't want to; no he _really_ liked the idea, but even thinking about it made his hands form ice out of thin air because of the fear to hurt him – again… No, Dean had to get away, so far away that the influence of his powers would go away, and this winter could melt away back to summer. He owed his people that much, even if it meant for him to be alone for the rest of his life.

Dean's head turned around when he heard a door being opened. Coming inside was Ruby, still wearing that same black and red dress she had been wearing earlier, but minus the green cape that had probably been Sam's. Her hair was still loose and clean, and she didn't seem to have any injuries. Dean was a little bit happy to see that, or else Sam would have killed him.

"Why did you bring me here?" Dean asked Ruby when the girl stood still next to the bed Dean was sitting on.

"I couldn't just let them kill you, your Majesty," Ruby said, crossing her arms and shivering visibly. Dean didn't even bother to try to take the cold away, he would fail no matter what he tried.

"Maybe you should have," Dean said, dropping his gaze and looking at the floor where a few mice ran away, scared off by the sudden presence of the Princess. "I'm a danger to Moondor," he added.

"Your majesty," Ruby began, but Dean cut her off.

"Get Sam," he said, not a single sign of hope left to be found in his voice. He heard Ruby gasp, which made him look up at her. What was wrong? Why was she reacting that way?

"Sam has not returned," Ruby said, and now Dean's head turned to the window, where he could finally see the cold landscape of Moondor, covered in deep snow. Flakes were still dropping down, and a thick fog had settled in the air, making it difficult to see from far. Sam was somewhere out there, hurt, cold and lost. Dean shook his head and almost wanted to scream.

"If you would just stop the winter," Ruby continued then, "Bring back summer? Then we can continue our search for Sam, and all this mess will be over?"

Oh, how naïve she was. Dean shook his head, making fists inside the metal around his hands. "You don't see it, do you Ruby?" Dean snapped, voice sharp and angry. "I can't!"

At that, Ruby seemed truly surprised. A short breath left her lips, making a little cloud. Her eyes wandered down, and she was already taking a step back.

"Let me go, Ruby, before things will get much worse than they already are," Dean warned, not really wanting to get her scared, but knowing that it was the only way for her to realize that keeping him here did more bad than good.

"I'll see what I can do," she then said, turning around and closing the door behind her. Dean knew well enough what that meant; there was no way for him to get out of this cell. Not without escaping.

So that was what he was going to do.

* * *

Chuck was neighing a lot. He shook his head, often stood still, and walked agonizing slowly. Cas kept on instructing him to continue, but that always took longer than they could afford.

"Damn it Chuck!" Castiel yelled when the horse stood still for the twelfth time that hour. The horse shook his head one more time, and kicked its hooves on the ice.

"He's saying that he doesn't want anything else to do with you guys anymore, and he's angry that you took him away when he finally returned back home safely," Gabriel said with a bored voice. Cas frowned when he looked at the reindeer that was once his friend. It was just too weird.

"I didn't need your input, Gabriel," Cas said, jumping off the horse, and walking in front of Chuck. "Okay now buddy, listen up. I know you have been scared off by that creepy snowman, I know it was hell for you to find your way back, but someone could die here if you don't cooperate, understood?"

Chuck remained silent now, not even moving as Castiel stared in his blue eyes.

"You got him there, I think," Gabriel added. Castiel rolled his eyes and walked back around the horse to climb back on. Garth was still sitting on his back, and as soon as Castiel had joined, Chuck started running like a crazy horse, jumping and prancing, until the two fell off. After that, Chuck remained where he stood, looking smugly.

"Okay, _now_ he'll go with you," Gabriel said. Jess sighed loudly, pressing closer to Sam who was shivering so hard the whole reindeer was shaking as well. Gabriel had made a few unnecessary comments about that, but eventually shut up, showing a little bit compassion for the Prince.

When they were racing back to the Kingdom again, Castiel made sure he reassured Chuck enough for him not to freak out again. His back hurt a little from the fall, but there was nothing major, luckily.

When they arrived in the outer village of Moondor, Garth jumped off Garth and started sliding down, laughing and giggling as the snow entered his mouth. Whatever made him happy, Castiel thought.

"Don't scare off people!" Jess yelled at him, and Garth held out a thumb up. Then the snowman was off, disappeared behind a house, and Castiel could hear a woman scream. Despite the urgency of their current mission, Castiel did find it funny.

"How is he?" he asked, loud enough for Jess to hear him. Castiel could see that the girl had put her hat on his head, and Cas had given his scarf earlier. Sam's eyes were closed, and more of his hair was white now.

"He's holding up so far, but I'm afraid that we're pushing our luck," Jess said, actually worried. She urged Gabriel to go faster, and the human-turned-reindeer made an exaggerated yelp of pain before speeding up.

They finally reached the gates of the castle. Castiel jumped off Chuck and ran over to Gabriel, Jess and Sam. The Prince was almost passed out; eyes close but giving little signs that he was still awake. Jess couldn't possibly carry him off all alone, so Castiel helped her. Once Sam was on his two feet, he leaned on the two helping him to walk over the door. Before they could knock, it opened – probably a guard that saw them arriving. A few people ran over to the three, all of them looking worried.

"It's the Prince!" one said, and they were all around them, taking Sam over. Castiel let go of him, but it took a little longer for Jess. She was still holding his hand when they were already taking him away. Sam turned his head to her, and smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Jess," he said, then looking at Castiel. "You too, Cas," he added. Then the doors closed again, and the two were standing in front of it, staring. The servants hadn't even let them help. They just took Sam and went away.

Jess was silent for a few seconds, deep in thoughts, before turning away, walking right past Gabriel. Castiel didn't move, but watched her walk away. Even Gabriel seemed to understand that right now wasn't the best moment to start joking.

It was when Jess was out of earshot that Castiel cleared his throat. They needed a distraction.

"So, tell me about how you turned out this way?" Castiel asked.

* * *

Sam was taken inside immediately. The hallways were dark, as were the other rooms. A lot of people he didn't know were walking around the Castle, probably for shelter. They all looked at Sam as if they saw a celebrity, and it took a second look from them to see that there was something different. Sam now wondered how much of his hair was still brown.

The workers seemed to know where to take Sam, because nobody gave directions or anything. Sam just followed, trying not to trip over his own feet.

When they arrived at a door Sam couldn't really recognize for a moment – he was literally freezing to death, who could blame him? – they knocked quickly before opening and letting Sam walk inside.

"Princess Ruby, the Prince has returned," one of the workers said, helping Sam closer to the divan. Sam immediately grabbed the armrest to keep his balance, and looked down at Ruby with big eyes.

"You need to kiss me!" he said, voice barely audible. The people that were still in the room – including Duke Crowley, Bobby and Rufus – all looked at each other in surprised expressions. Had they all been talking before Sam came in? Where they discussing something important?

"I think we should better leave these two souls alone," Crowley said, face strangely still smug. He shared one last look with Ruby before walking outside, the others following him. Bobby stood at the door for a little while longer.

"Take care, son," he said, eyes filled with worry. Sam nodded shortly at him, and as soon as the door was closed, he turned his head back to Ruby.

"Sam what's wrong?" Ruby asked. She put her hands on his arms and pushed him down on the divan, letting him sit. She kneeled in front of him, holding his hands inside hers.

"Dean struck me with his powers," Sam explained, and Ruby gave him an angry expression, but just for a little moment. Right after that, she sighed loudly and calmed down.

"You said he'd never hurt you," she said, voice shaky but still full of worry. And Sam was silent for a few seconds; because of course he said that. He truly _believed_ that Dean would never hurt him. He believed that his brother would never do anything that would put him in danger. But yet he still did – despite it being unintentional – and Sam had to act quickly before his heart froze.

"I was wrong, Ruby," Sam responded in a whisper, looking down. Another wave of coldness came over him, and he flinched visibly, pressing his arms against his chest and groaning. Ruby gave a frightened yelp, but recovered quickly.

"What did he do?" she asked, caressing his cheek with her still-gloved hands. Sam hadn't really thought about it, but he never actually saw her taking them off. Maybe she was afraid of dirt? Oh, wait, no, that's what he thought of Dean, and look where that took him. There was probably nothing wrong with Ruby; it was just the cold!

"He froze my heart," Sam gave as an explanation. "And only an act of true love can save me." Oh, he didn't even believe what he was saying. One day ago he didn't even think there was such a thing as true love, and now he couldn't talk about anything else? Now his life depended on it? And then what Queen Pamela had told him; that he would see his true love again today. Right after that he ran into Ruby. That mustn't have been coincidence, now?

"A true love's kiss?" Ruby asked after a little bit of thinking. Sam nodded quickly, and took a deep breath. When he saw that Ruby was reaching forward, a little smile formed on his lips, and he felt relief. This was almost over; he was going to be fine again, and they could look for Dean, try to find a solution to this mess.

Sam had closed his eyes when Ruby was so close he could feel her breath on his skin. His heart was racing, his cold skin started tingling, and he was getting exited. In all the commotion, he and Ruby never got to share their first kiss. This wasn't really how he had planned it to be, but in the end, it was still an act of true love. There couldn't be more meaning into it.

Ruby seemed to hesitate, but Sam didn't press on. He waited patiently until she was ready. He felt her nose press against his, and bit his lips for a little moment before smiling.

"Oh Sam, if only there was someone out there who loved you," Ruby suddenly said, and wait, _what_? Sam opened his eyes in surprise only to see Ruby pull back with a grin on her face. The words had escaped his mouth, his throat was dry, and it felt as if his heart stopped beating.

"Wha-?" was the only thing that came out before Ruby stood up again. The shadow of the fireplace fell on half of her face, and the flames were flickering in her brown eyes. Her pretty face suddenly looked so demonic, evil. Ruby turned around and walked to the windows, looking outside at the kingdom. Sam couldn't see her face anymore, but he felt his heart break in every possible way. "You said you did?" he asked, voice shivering from the sudden wave of cold that came back over him.

"I really had you going there now, Sam?" she asked when she closed the curtains, darkening the room. "You have to say, making you think I loved you maybe even _one hour_ after we met? Come on, Sam, even you have to admit I'm awesome," she said, wide grin on her face. She was smiling, but it was pure evil.

"Why?" Sam asked, not able to stand up. He saw Ruby walk over to the candles, and blowing them out.

"As the tenth in line, Lilith knew I had to marry into the throne somewhere," Ruby said, blowing out another candle. She kept her hair out of the way, and walked around the room. "She never gave up on me, Sam. She sent me here."

"What are you talking about, Ruby?" Sam tried, hoping it was all a big joke, and that she would just turn back to normal, screaming 'Just kidding!' or whatever. But that never came. She took out the flowers of a vase, picked the glass and walked to the fireplace.

"Of course, as the heir, Dean was preferable, but both Lilith and I knew no-one was getting anywhere with him," she said, emptying the vase in the fireplace, killing the fire. It was now completely dark except for the snow reflecting through the little holes in the curtains. "And then you came along, Prince Samuel Winchester, so desperate for love, willing to marry me _just like that_?"

"Stop," Sam said, reaching out for her, making him loose his balance and falling off the couch he was sitting on. He landed on the floor with a loud groan, and looked up to see Ruby throwing her hair back.

"And I thought that, all I needed once we were married, was to stage a little accident for Dean," Ruby continued, and Sam tried to crawl to her, not really knowing why because it wouldn't matter. He couldn't stop her. "But then Dean doomed himself, you were dumb enough to go after him.

"All that's left now is to take out your brother and with that bringing back summer."

"You- you're no match for Dean," Sam stuttered, trying to stand up but failing miserably. Ruby crouched down next to him and caressed his face with sudden tenderness.

"It's too bad, actually, I kind of started to like you," Ruby said, ignoring Sam's thread to her. Her fingers then left his cheek, and he dropped down again, groaning and shivering. "But at least I have made my sister proud."

"You don't have to do this, Ruby. Let your sister be, build up your own life," Sam tried, but the Princess shook her head.

"Don't you know what happened to my dearest sister; Meg?" ruby asked, now taking Sam's face in a hard grip. "She didn't listen to Lilith, she fell in love with another girl, and as soon as Lilith found out, she was cast out, and now she's all alone."

That was new information for Sam. Ruby had told him that she ran away, that she didn't want to have an arranged marriage.

"What happened to the girl?" Sam asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"She didn't make it," Ruby answered with a dark look on her face. She dropped Sam's head again and stood up. "And now I'm going to save Moondor from destruction."

She walked to the door, and gave Sam one last look, smiling at him again. "Farewell Sam, it was nice being engaged to you."

And after that, she closed the door, leaving a dying Sam all alone in the dark room that was getting colder and colder now that the fire was out. He grabbed himself at the armrest of the couch and pulled himself up, and then he walked to the door. As he expected; it was locked. He didn't have enough strength to knock or to scream. He couldn't even try picking the lock – something he had learned to do very well over the years. No, he was about to die here, and there didn't seem to be anybody who was going to save him.

* * *

Bobby was at the point of biting his teeth. The people around him were idiots by even thinking that Dean was the bad guy here. And poor Sam had looked terrible when he came into the room. Bobby had never seen him so worn off, pale face, hair as light as the snow. It took them long enough in that room. Sam had been grabbing Ruby, begging her to kiss him. That couldn't take that long, right?

"It's getting colder by the minute!" Crowley complained with his smug face. He wasn't looking at anybody, but instead had his eyes fixed on the glass of wine he had in his hands. Where did that man even find wine? "Before we know it my wine will be frozen as well."

"Oh shut up, you moron," Rufus said, crossing his arms and giving Crowley a mean look. He had trouble believing that this man had acted all scared an innocent in the beginning when they first met. Ever since some of these people started to listen to him, his ego grew larger and larger.

"Now now, don't need to get snappy," Crowley said, winking at Rufus. The other man snorted, shook his head and turned to Bobby with an eye roll. The others didn't seem notice the interactions; they were all talking to each other, warming themselves up at the fire they set up earlier.

Then there was a little creak at the door, making all the men look up. It was dark despite the fire, and Ruby's face when she walked in was dark. Bobby didn't trust it for a moment.

"Princess Ruby," Crowley said, putting down his wine and walking to her. Ruby was looking down, walking slowly, and as soon as a chair was put in front of her, she dropped down on it. Then she looked up with a dead stare in her eyes.

"Prince Sam is…" For a moment she seemed out of breath. She held on to Crowley, fingers gripping his arm tight. "He's dead."

And at that moment, the world around Bobby stopped. Because hearing such news about a person you saw grow up over the years, it was hard. No, it was unbearable to even think Sam was gone. It felt almost exactly as if Bobby just received the news his own son just died.

But maybe, in the end, he did lose a son just now.

So Bobby couldn't move, the Princess was just staring, and all the other men were circling around her, asking questions about what happened. But Bobby didn't listen. All he could think about was how he had never spent enough time with Sam and Dean, how the monthly visits didn't seem enough. How he wished he had been there more often when John and Mary died in that shipwreck. It was all too late now; Sam was dead, Dean was probably only wishing he were dead.

"He was killed by King Dean," Ruby then said, making Bobby snap out of his thoughts. He was so shocked by what she said that he couldn't even react.

"Oh lord, his own brother," Crowley said with an obvious fake concern. The man had even put his hand on his chest, and Bobby couldn't hate him more.

"We got to say our marriage vows before he…" Ruby couldn't finish. She pressed her face in her hands and started sobbing softly. Her shoulders were going up and down, and she was leaning into Crowley.

"There can't be more doubt now, then," Crowley said, looking up to watch all the people in the room. Bobby ignored his stare, kept his eyes on the ground as he was looking for words. "King Dean is a monster, and we are all in grave danger."

"Okay now, wait a minute," Rufus said at that, but Crowley held up his hand to silence him, and the man kept quiet all of the sudden, looking at that hand in surprise.

"Ruby, Moondor looks to you now," one of the other men said. Bobby couldn't really remember where he was from, but his name was probably something like Gordon or whatever, he was a count, if Bobby could remember right.

"With a heavy heart I charge King Dean of Moondor with treason, and sentence him to death," Ruby said, voice suddenly sounding fake-sad. And at that Bobby snapped.

"What?! Are you crazy?!" he yelled at the Princess, and Ruby actually had to hold him back. "I already lost Sam there, and now you want to take out Dean too? Is this some kind of a game to you?"

"Bobby Singer, if you defy my choice, I will lock you down as well," she said, tone angry. All that 'sadness' she had earlier was now gone. But Bobby just couldn't let this all happen.

"And who do you even think you are? What proof do you have that those marriage vows even happened? You've been here just one day, while I have been here my whole life practically! What gives you right to make orders like that, then?" he continued, trying to break away from Rufus's grip, but his friend didn't give away.

"You've been here all your life yet you didn't even once notice that Dean had abilities? Some family-friend you are," Ruby said. "Lock him in until he's calmed down."

The men listened to her, all of them reaching for Bobby. Rufus was trying to get him away, but they grabbed him too. When Rufus started yelling and cursing as well, Ruby said that he could join Bobby, and so it happened that the two men found themselves in the cold and dark prison-cell surrounded by ice.

And that's when they all realized Dean wasn't inside anymore.

* * *

_I'm sorry about this crappy chapter. I have been sick a lot lately, and watching at my computer screen for too long makes my eyes hurt. But, yay! three more chapters to go, and this will be the first story I've finished since 2011! *feels a little bit proud*_

_Next chapter will explain how Gabriel became a reindeer. I know I said I would write that in this chapter, but I didn't want to drag it too long here, so it'll have to be next chapter instead. sorry for that._


	8. An Act of True Love

**An act of true love**

**I don't even know what love is.**

**T**he storm became stronger and stronger by the minute. The snow made it impossible to see where one was walking. The water was now completely made of ice, so thick that it would be able to carry a whole ship.

Dean had to admit that he was scared. His heart was racing faster than it ever had. He was keeping his hands against his chest, hoping that he could somehow stop the cold coming out of his fingertips. His cape – why was he still wearing that damn thing? – was flapping with the wind, actually keeping Dean back. But he couldn't focus; it didn't occur to him what was happening around him. All he wanted was to get away, as far from Moondor as possible, so that the winter could probably fly over, following Dean.

He wasn't sure that it would work; hell, he wasn't sure of anything lately. But it was his best shot. Leaving, taking away the winter, was probably the best way for them to find Sammy.

So Dean kept on running, one hand now raised in front of his eyes to keep the snow out of it. He wasn't cold, but it was very uncomfortable to have those flakes in his eyes. It was stupid; all of this was here because of him, and he couldn't even keep the flakes from slamming into his face? Oh, his powers were so lame.

He hoped that everybody at the castle was alright; he did have to freeze the whole place in order to get away. He remembered those metal bindings around his hands, squeezing his wrists, making it impossible for him to move again.

But he had been so set on getting out that the power suddenly seemed to follow his wishes. The metal started freezing, and suddenly they broke, freeing his hands and feet. But sadly, the ice decided that that wasn't enough. From his feet it erupted, spreading across the floor and climbing up the walls again. He heard the walls starting to crack, the metal bars of the prison cell breaking, and then he was free. Of course, free was not really the best term in his life, because the ice still followed him wherever he walked. His feet spread it around, and it crept all up to the ceiling, forming into dangerous and deadly spikes that could kill a person if it were to fall. He saw them all coming, making form and then just being there. The spikes becoming a part of the castle all of the sudden.

Dean felt ashamed that his actions led to the castle looking like this. Once, it was beautiful and friendly. Now it was dark and hostile, and even he didn't want to stay there anymore.

Dean knew the hallways, so he was able to avoid the guards. He got out without being noticed, and then he kept on running, finding himself now here in the snowstorm he himself created, not knowing where he was.

Then Dean suddenly tripped over his own feet, making him land painfully on the ground. He couldn't find the strength to stand up again, so he remained on the ground for just a moment before looking up.

"King Dean," he heard Ruby call further away.

* * *

The four of them were already past the border of Moondor. Jess was silent, looking down at her feet and not really paying attention. Chuck was already walking ahead, planning on getting back to the trolls as quickly as he could and making that his permanent retirement for the rest of his life.

"So wait, let's see if I got this all right now," Castiel said, walking next to Gabriel who snorted and rolled his eyes. "You went on some sort of 'crusade' or whatever you called it – even though you're not a knight – met some girls in bars, and accidentally _cheated_ on one?"

"Well, the thought we had something special," Gabriel said with a bored tone. "Those other girls knew it was just a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but this girl, oh no, she thought we were going all the way."

"So you cheated on a girlfriend you didn't know you had in the _Enchanted Forests_? Gabe, even you know better than that!" Castiel said, scratching his chin and sighing loudly. "I knew from the orphanage that you were reckless, that's why you ran away, but come on, Gabe. What happened?" Castiel remembered the times he had spent in the orphanage looking up at Gabriel. They weren't as close with each other as Cas and Jess were, but they could call themselves friends. Castiel had been sad when Gabriel ran away, but he and Jess then quickly walked right into his footsteps.

"I don't know, okay? It was like the forest was calling to me or whatever!" Gabriel said. "You know I have a weak spot for women calling for me?"

Castiel couldn't believe his ears. He put his hands in the air, and suddenly started laughing. After a minute, he still couldn't stop, making Gabriel look at him in a questioning look.

"What's so funny?" he asked, and Castiel just shook his head.

"You know, _you_. You're a reindeer, Gabe," Castiel said, then looking up and seeing Jessica standing still. The smile on his face fell away immediately, and he ignored Gabriel's protests of mockery by walking straight to her.

"We can still go back," Castiel said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Jessica shook her head, but didn't look up. She took a deep breath, forming a big cloud in front of her mouth when she breathed out.

"No, he's with his true love," Jessica said, but Castiel could hear that even she didn't believe that. When Jessica finally looked up to stare at him, he gave her a sarcastic expression.

"His _true love_, really Jess?" Castiel asked, not removing his hand from her shoulder until she shook it off.

"Yeah, okay I know," she said to that.

"Eh, guys, if you two don't believe Ruby is Sam's true love," Gabriel began (he had been updated by what was happening on their way here), "then what are we still doing here? He could still die?"

Jess' eyes suddenly went wide, and her mouth fell open. Castiel too couldn't move for a moment, shocked by that declaration. How could they not have thought of that?

"Look!" Jess suddenly said, pointing at the Kingdom that was still close. Or more, where Moondor was _supposed_ to be. Now it was covered in a big white cloud, circling around it and probably causing one hell of a storm. But, if that storm was now suddenly there, that could only mean one thing.

"Oh, no Dean," Cas said, feeling sad for the man he loved all of the sudden. He hadn't asked for this, he didn't even deserve this! And now this all happened! "We have to go back, Dean is there!" Castiel then said, already jumping on Gabriel's back.

"Ouch," the reindeer complained, but Castiel ignored him.

"Come, you need to find Sam, too," Castiel said, holding out his hands to his friend. Jessica took it without any hesitation, jumping on Gabriel's back as well. And then Castiel kicked him in the ribs, making Gabriel complain again.

"Hey, you can also just ask, you know," he yelled as he started sprinting again. Castiel just patted him on the neck as he held on tight to his fur. Jessica kept her arms wrapped around Castiel's waist, her face pressed against his shoulder.

"Sorry Gabe, no time to lose," Castiel said. And they were off again, back on their way to Moondor.

And later when Chuck turned around to see what the others were waiting for, he found himself alone. He made an annoyed sound, shook his head, and then continued walking home. Apparently they didn't need him at all.

* * *

One winter, Sam remembered, he was playing outside in the snow. He had been wearing many layers to keep warm; thick coat, gloves, hat and snow boots. He had objected at first – Dean didn't wear all those things, why should he? – but his mother didn't flinch. So that was why he had been outside, barely able to move while his brother was still in his everyday-clothes.

It was then that Sam learned about Dean's powers. Sam had ran off, angry because he felt ridiculous, and he had been sitting somewhere he now couldn't remember. All he did know was that one moment he was there on the ground, and the other he was suddenly pushed away and a loud cracking sound formed itself where he had been sitting not five seconds ago. When Sam had looked, he had seen that it was a tree; one of those big trees Sam had always been studying in the summer. It was an old one, and apparently it had decided that it had enough, and it fell over. That, or the tree-cutters forgot to take this one away.

Anyway, that was how he had learned Dean had powers. Because Dean had been quite far away, and still he had pushed Sam from the tree by letting the snow push him. If Dean then hadn't proved it by making the snow dance around his head, Sam would still not have believed it to this day.

But now that Sam thought about it, it seemed like it was again the first time he heard about it. He learned it all those years ago, yet today was the first time he remembered that memory. Now, right at this moment when he was lying on the ground, shivering, unable to move, in a castle that was getting colder and colder. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore. When he looked at them, they were already in a shade of blue. His hands couldn't stay still, and his teeth were clattering.

He hadn't noticed the sound on the lock of the door, and he gave a surprised gasp when it suddenly opened with a carrot still stuck in the lock. There was no-one who walked in just yet. And then, a familiar laughter came, and Garth came walking in, smiling and taking away the carrot, putting it back on his face.

As soon as his black eyes fell on Sam who was still on the ground, his smile disappeared and he reached out to him immediately.

"Sam! Oh no," he muttered, looking around for something to help. He noticed the fireplace, put new logs of wood. He worked fast, ran around the room in search for anything that was burnable and then throwing it in with the rest. He took a match and swiped it against the stone wall of the fire place. A few sparks came out, and then one fell on a branch, making it form a fire immediately. It was small at first, but Garth started blowing air on it, making the flame grow bigger.

"Garth, get away from there," Sam said, putting all his effort in his words. Garth held out his arms for just a moment, enjoying the heat, but then remembered what he came here to do. He walked back to Sam, pulled him closer and then both sat in front of the flames.

"So, where's Ruby? What happened to your kiss?" he then asked when Sam was seated again. The Prince held his arms against his stomach and tried to look up.

"I-I was wrong about her," Sam stuttered, accepting a blanket Garth took from the couch. He wrapped it around him slowly, but it didn't help him getting any warmer.

"But we ran all the way here?" Garth asked, looking at his arms before lowering his shoulders. "I would give you a hug to keep you warm, but I don't think I would be much help," he muttered.

"Please, Garth, you can't stay here," Sam begged the snowman. His eyes went to the fireplace and then back to Garth. "You'll melt."

"No!" Garth almost yelled. "I'm not leaving here until we find another act of true love to save you." Garth crossed his arms and sat down in front of Sam. "Do you have any idea?" he then asked.

"I don't even know what love is, Garth," Sam said, voice quiet and head low. He was hunched forward and at his confession he knew there was no possible way to save him. He was dying, and nothing could stop it.

"Oh, but I do! I wasn't lying when I called myself a love-expert, you know," Garth said, crawling closer to Sam. "Love is… putting someone else's needs before yours, like…" now Garth was making a thinking sound, straightening the blanket on Sam's shoulders. "…how Jess brought you back here to Ruby and then left you for ever."

Wow, what an example was that? Sam didn't understand a thing Garth was saying, because if what he just said was true, then that would mean that… wait, what? Was Garth serious?

"Jess loves me?" he asked in surprise. Garth's face softened at that question, and he tilted his head a little bit, frowning.

"Wow, you really don't know anything about love, do you?" Garth said, and then Sam noticed that he seemed wet, as if he were sweating. The carrot on his nose started falling down, and a snowy finger pulled it back up, suddenly smiling."

"Garth, you're melting," Sam said, trying to push away the snowman. Garth allowed it, and walked back, further away from the fireplace.

"You know, I wanted to say something meaningful about some people being worth melting for, but I really _really_ don't want to melt just yet," he said. He had an embarrassed smile on his snowy face, but that disappeared again when the windows suddenly slammed open, letting the cold air in. Garth yelled out in surprise, and Sam shivered again, flinching at the contact with the temperature from outside.

"Wait, I'll fix this!" Garth said, standing up and running to the window. "We're gonna get through th-" Garth started, but then his attention went to something from outside. Sam couldn't see what it was that made Garth so silent all of the sudden. He looked up, tried to see through the window, but it was no use. He may be a tall man, but while he was sitting down, he was too short.

Garth took one of the stalactites attached to the window frame and bit or the pointy end, putting the thing against his eye.

"Garth, what are you-" he couldn't continue when he suddenly started couching his lungs out. It felt like there was barely any air left in his body, and his vision started to get blurry.

"It's Jess and Cas!" Garth yelled in excitement. "Oh, and Gabriel, of course," he then added dryly. "They are coming this way!"

"They are?" Sam asked, suddenly feeling a new spark of hope form in his body. A faint smile formed on his lips, and he suddenly found the courage to try and stand up again.

"Yeah, I guess I was wrong then," Garth said in disappointment. "I guess Jess doesn't love you enough to leave you behind."

"Okay Garth, help me up," Sam said, already putting pressure on his legs while trying to stand up. Garth ran back to him to support him, and as soon as Sam was back on his feet, the two walked as fast as they could back to the door Garth had unlocked earlier.

"I can't believe we found you another act of true love!" Garth then said, clapping his hands together and smiling. But the luck didn't last long. As soon as they were in the hallway, the ice started to surround them all over the walls and the floor. New stalactites and stalagmites appeared out of nowhere, blocking every way of escaping they had.

"Eh, let's try the other way," Garth then said, but as soon as they turned around, they saw that it was no use. That passage had been blocked as well, making it practically impossible for them to escape.

"Th-the window," Sam said, now shivering non-stop. He had wrapped his arms around himself, pulled the blanket tighter, and let himself be led to the room again by Garth.

Garth helped him up, letting Sam climb through the window frame and getting back outside. They weren't high, luckily, but still high enough to hurt themselves if they were to fall. Of course, now that it was freshly fallen snow on the ground, they were a little safer. Sam glided down the roof, grabbing himself on a statue. Garth came rolling next to him, thickening his layers of snow.

"Just glide down, it'll be alright," Garth said, and Sam checked if he was right. The way down wasn't straight, but more lowering gently, making it more like a slide than a fall. Sam then nodded, sat down again, and then Garth gave him a push.

* * *

Dean was literally freaking out. Ever since he heard Ruby call out for him, he started running faster and faster, but apparently always ending up right where he came from. He had no idea where he was going. He had no clue where he even was for crying out low. He didn't know how to stop the ice spreading from inside him, and he was completely hopeless right now. But all he could do was keep walking, ignoring the snow in his eyes, letting the wind blow his hair back. He was now grabbing his cape closer to him, fingers holding it tight. In the beginning it helped him stay calm for a little bit, but after a while, that even stopped as well.

Dean then stood still for another moment, taking his time now to look around. But, just like he expected, there was nothing for him to see. The only thing he was doing here was losing time that he couldn't afford. So, he set out again.

All that was left to do was walking straight forward, hoping that eventually he found the end of the fjord and the start of the forest.

* * *

Garth was a ball of ice when they touched the ground, and Sam helped him shake out of it. The snowman shook the snow everywhere, one even accidentally hitting Sam in the face.

"Sorry," he muttered when Sam rubbed over his red cheek.

"Don't mind it, let's go," he said, eyes trying to focus at where Garth had been looking earlier. He started running in what was hopefully the right way. All the guards were now inside, leaving the gates to be unguarded. That was very helpful, Sam thought, as he pushed open the gates. They gave away with a little struggle, but eventually it opened, allowing Sam to leave the grounds of the castle again.

* * *

Gabriel was now taking jumps to go faster, puffing loudly as his hooved touched the snow quicker after each other. Castiel was still holding on tight, a new scarf around his face, and eyes never leaving his focus point; which was a little blur moving around in the storm. Castiel knew it was Dean, because no-one else was walking in the middle of this weather. The clouds all followed Dean as he moved, the snow got stronger the closer they got.

"How far are we?" Jess asked, and Castiel put his hand on hers for a second to reassure her. Then he kicked Gabriel again – who now stopped complaining about it. The reindeer just picked up tempo, and increased speed.

As soon as they touched the ice of the fjord, they saw a big grey cloud coming up their way, and Castiel knew that, the moment they went through there, they would be in the middle of the storm. There was no backing out now. He didn't stop Gabriel, just put his head lower, tensed his shoulders, and held on tighter.

The wind was the first thing he noticed. It held Gabriel back for a little bit, making the reindeer grunt in the pressure that was now pushed against him. Castiel too groaned as the wind touched his face, making his skin go numb as the temperature was getting lower than had ever been.

"Come on, Gabriel," Castiel said, patting the reindeer on his neck. Jess still had her face pressed against Castiel's back, so at least she was still safe. "Faster!"

"Aye aye Captain," Gabriel said, doing exactly what Castiel told him to do.

"Do you hear that?" Jess suddenly asked, and Castiel stopped breathing for a moment, keeping his ears out to find whatever Jess was hearing. There it was, the faint sound of someone calling. Castiel heard it was a man, but he wasn't sure if it was Sam or Dean.

Then, as they came closer, the sound got clearer.

"Jess!" it was calling. And it kept on repeating the name, getting more and more exasperated by the minute. Gabriel seemed to hear it too, because he was changing directions. Castiel understood why Sam had priority. If the man was outside, yelling for Jess, it meant that this thing with Ruby didn't work. That Sam had realized Ruby wasn't the one they needed. Somehow it made Castiel a little bit hopeful.

"GABRIEL, WATCH OUT!" Jess suddenly yelled. Castiel looked up in surprise, only to see that the boat they were running next to was at this very moment falling down. They were still in the center, and if they wanted to escape getting crushed by it, Gabriel had to run even faster than he currently was. Castiel didn't know if he could do it.

But Gabriel managed. He was avoiding pillars, falling boxes and even swords that came falling down to them. He barely managed to escape the boat, but in the end, he succeeded. He was crying out in victory,

As their life seemed to be one drama after the other, their success didn't last long. As soon as the boat touched down, the ice they were running on started cracking. Gabriel hadn't noticed that, and only when Castiel did, Gabriel was already walking on a crack. He tripped, causing Jess and Castiel to fall along. With every reflex that was left in his body, Castiel pushed at Jess, causing her to fall down further away than he did.

Castiel knew of course what that would result in. While Jess was safely on the ice, still trying to figure out what exactly happened, Castiel saw the freezing water coming closer to him. It wasn't until his skin touched the cold that he closed his eyes.

At least Jess was safe, was what he thought.

It hurt. A lot. The cold was now surrounding him, creeping inside every bit of clothing he was wearing, cooling up his body immediately. At first it felt like thousands of needles being pushed in him at the same time. But then, after a little while, his skin became numb again. He couldn't think clearly, but he knew that the breath that was now escaping his mouth was probably the last one he would ever make.

That was, until something came from under him, and swam back up, making Castiel reach the open air again. Castiel gasped for breath, did his very best to move his frozen limbs, and looked around, searching for Jess. The girl was still where Castiel had thrown her, but she was now looking at him. Her face went from worry immediately to relief.

Castiel held on to a piece of ice that was floating around. He pulled himself up with the help of Gabriel – the one who had pushed him out the water anyway. The reindeer got on the piece of ice as well, and shook himself dryer. Castiel though was still shivering from his bones, teeth clattering and barely able to move.

If he didn't die in the water, he would certainly die of hypothermia later on.

"Go, Jess!" Castiel yelled, accepting his own fate. He waved at his best friend, gesturing her to continue on her search for Sam without them. She would make it, there was no doubt. But if Castiel and Gabriel still tagged along, she would definitely be too late.

The moment he saw Jess nod and stand up, he felt a wave of pride come all over him. His best friend, a girl who had been like a little sister to him all his life, knew how to act in moments of distress. She knew which decisions to make, what could be postponed and what had to happen immediately.

So Jess turned around, and started running, hand raised high to prevent the snow from coming in her eyes. Castiel heard her scream Sam's name, and then her green cape was nowhere to be seen anymore.

"Come on, let's get back on the steady ice," Castiel stuttered, trying his best to make the block of ice move forward, but not really knowing how. Gabriel kicked in the water a few times, which actually helped. First it was Castiel who stepped off, and then Gabriel made a jump. He walked back to Cas, and put his snout against his arm.

"We'll warm you up, buddy," Gabriel said. Castiel nodded softly, and then leaned into Gabriel's touch. He couldn't move, and fell down on his knees, still leaning on the reindeer.

"Who are we kidding, Gabe," Castiel then said. "There's no way we can get back in time."

Gabriel seemed to know that too. He was silent as he lowered himself, allowing Castiel to climb up on him and then walking slowly. Castiel wasn't moving anymore, but his breath was at the moment still steady – despite the shivers in between of course.

* * *

Now Dean was certain that he was only walking around in circles. It wasn't possible that the fjord was this big. Even if he kept on walking straight forward, he never seemed to reach the end.

Once again, he stood still for a moment to try and get some orientation. Where was he? Were there mountains in sight? Dean turned around slowly, ignoring the snow slamming him in the face, and then gasping for breath.

Because Ruby was standing behind him.

"King Dean, you can't run from this," Ruby yelled, barely audible to Dean. She kept on coming closer, despite Dean's steps back.

"Ruby, just…" he began, putting his hands in the air and taking another step back. His eyes met hers, but he couldn't really place her expression. "…just take care of my brother," he then said, voice cracking.

"Your brother? He came back from the mountains, weak and cold. He said that you froze his heart."

No. No no no no! That couldn't be true! She was lying. She had that face of a liar, Dean could tell from the moment he saw her. But, as she kept on talking, he wasn't so sure anymore. Did he really freeze Sammy's heart? Was his brother really dying?

"I tried to save him, but it was too late," Ruby then added, making Dean drop still immediately. He lowered his hands, hunched his shoulders, and held his breath. Because, if he heard it correctly, Ruby _tried_ to save him. Meaning… that it didn't work.

"His skin was ice, his hair turned white."

No, no no no! Dean just wished she stopped talking.

"Your brother is dead, because of you," was the last thing she said. Dean felt as if he were choking. His heart literally hurt, and it was spreading into every inch of his body. This strange, yet familiar, pain soaring through him. He remembered how it felt when his parents died. He remembered that night when Sammy almost died. But, this just felt ten times worse. Because this time, Sammy really was dead. And it really was because of him.

So Dean did something he had never done before. He didn't conceal. He was letting it show. The first tear rolled out of his eyes. He turned around, suddenly feeling this heavy pressure on his shoulders. It lowered him to the ground until he was kneeling down, one hand reaching for his face, the other one gripping the ice.

Around him, the storm stopped. It just suddenly went down; the wind got calm again, the snow wasn't falling anymore. The fog was lifting – even just a little bit.

But Dean didn't notice, because he was the cause of all this mess anyway. And now his little brother was dead. And it was his fault.

* * *

Garth had been blown away by the wind earlier, insisting that Sam would continue on his search for Jess. Sam's hands were now literally blue, and covered in icy patterns. His legs could barely hold him anymore. The wind had been pushing him from everywhere. His hair seemed permanently stuck on his face now; he couldn't remove them with his frozen hands so he just let it be like that.

"Jessica!" Sam called again, but his voice was losing its strength. He looked up as soon as he noticed that the wind had stopped. The snow too had quit falling down, and was now instead just floating around in the air, unmovable. It was as if time stopped. But then Sam saw movement further away; a person walking to him. He recognized the green cape, the blonde braid. It was Jessica.

And Jess had noticed him too. She was standing still for just a moment, as if she was surprised by the sudden change of weather as well. But then she recollected herself, and started running towards Sam again.

"Sam!" she yelled, reaching out her hand to him. Sam took another step to her as well, but very slowly. He was at the point of collapsing, but seeing Jessica run up to him made him just a little bit stronger.

But then he heard the sound of metal; a sword or something. And just for a moment, Sam got distracted. He turned his head to the source of the sound, only to see Ruby standing there with the sword up in the air, walking towards Dean who was sitting on the ground and didn't know what was happening. She was about to kill him, and Dean wasn't even paying attention!

"Dean," he whispered, wanting to warn his brother, to stop Ruby from killing him. But, if he did that, it would mean that Jess would probably be too late to save him. It was his life, or Deans.

That choice was easily made. Sam gave Jess one last look. She was so close, but still too far. She was clueless of Sam's new plan, and it was just for the best. With a groan of pain, he turned around, collecting all his strength to run forward to his brother and Ruby. Running had never hurt so much in his life. He almost didn't have any air in his lungs, his bones were protesting in probably every way possible, and his eyes were also starting to give out.

But he reached Ruby on time. She was already lowering the sword, performing the final blow that was supposed to kill Dean. Instead, Sam ran to it, held out his hand in an attempt to stop it, and the last thing he remembered before everything went black, was the surprised expression in Ruby's face.

* * *

_So, sorry for the many cuts from character to character. It's just because so many things happened at the same time that I couldn't really focus on the same one for too long. It's also shorter than the others (I think, at least. It felt that way for me...) Just two more chapters to go now... Wish me luck. Review, don't review, whatever you like, I love you readers either way. :-)_


	9. Setting Things Right

**Setting things right**

**When do we get our happy ending?**

**"****O**h no!"

Dean remembered the first time he thought those two small words. _Oh No_. It often meant that something went wrong, that something didn't happen the way it was supposed to. It is what his parents said when their grandparents had died. It was when Bobby had said when he found Dean all alone in his room because he had to keep away from Sam. It was what came into his mind when Sam announced his engagement with Ruby. It was what he thought when he hurt Cas that one night they finally took it to the next step.

Oh no seemed to sum up Dean's life as a matter of fact. His whole existing was one big _oh no_. Because he was supposed to be a normal boy, supposed to be a good king, and supposed to be a great big brother. But he wasn't, and he probably never would be now. Because he couldn't be normal, he had ruined his Kingdom in just one day, and to add to that, he had, just moments ago, killed his own brother.

Seeing the lifeless ice-statue that was once his brother could never feel more heartbreaking than just hearing about Sammy's death. Seeing the results of that one hit in the heart, seeing how his brother had completely frozen from the inside out, that was the most painful thing to see.

But there wasn't much more to do. Dean had stood up as soon as he heard the metal break, right after Sam had yelled. Dean didn't know where Sam had come from, neither had he any clue that Ruby had been planning on killing him. But right now, at this moment, he only hoped she had succeeded.

Dean put his hand on his brother's lifeless face. It was as smooth as ice could be, shining and looking so pure. But it wasn't meant to be like this; Sam wasn't supposed to be dead. He wasn't supposed to be a ice-sculpture.

So now the tears of all these years wasted came rolling out, because Dean had enough. He was tired, exhausted more, and he didn't have any life left in him anymore. He felt empty, without a cause, and unnecessary. In the last act of desperation, Dean wrapped his arms around Sam's lifeless body, ignoring how it felt as hard as a rock. He just let the tears go, all the sadness, all the anger. It all had to get out now, because there was no possible way left for him to keep it in.

"I'm sorry, Sammy," Dean mumbled, holding Sam tighter but knowing he wouldn't feel it. "I'm so sorry."

He heard feet shuffling around him, and then a surprised gasp followed.

"Oh no," a female voice said. And Dean agreed. _Oh no_ indeed. He didn't look up to see who it was. It didn't matter anyway. There was nothing more left for him.

"What am I supposed to do?" Dean whispered, recollecting the memories of the time he spent with Sam. There weren't a lot of them there, which made him cry even more.

The only thing that came into his mind more than once was one sentence.

_Do you wanna build a snowman?_

Oh, if only Dean had listened. If only he had built a snowman with him. Right now, he wanted nothing else. Whatever Sam wanted, Dean would have done right now. Dean needed his brother to be alive, to be here with him. But now he was gone.

What he would do to hear that sentence come out of his brother's lips once again. Just one time more. Dean would open the door immediately. It would have been opened even before Sam could even complete the sentence.

But it was too late.

Now behind him there was a sound of hooves coming closer. Dean ignored it again, squeezed his brothers arm in search for any reaction, which was hopeless as he had predicted. One look into those icy eyes and he knew that his brother was gone forever.

Damn you, Ruby, Dean thought. If she hadn't shown up at the party, she and Sam would never even have met. Then Dean wouldn't have been angry at him. Then maybe this all wouldn't have happened.

Or maybe it would all have been postponed to later on?

There was a small movement in Sam's body, but Dean just figured it was his imagination; his mind telling him to feel things he wanted to feel. It wasn't possible, and Dean knew it. So he remained where he was standing, wrapped up around Sam.

But then a soft breath came out of the ice-statue, and it took a step back. In all surprise, Dean jumped back as well, keeping his hands in the air in case he had to punch something.

But there stood Sam, completely normal, still wearing that ridiculous purple coat he had been wearing earlier. Dean let out a loud breath of relief as he saw his brother actually standing there, unfrozen and completely normal. His hair was brown again, and even that lighter lock had disappeared. He was just as he was meant to be – except for that coat of course, because yuk!

"Sammy!" Dean yelled, wrapping his arms around Sam again and this time even receiving a hug in return. "What ha- what did you-" He couldn't form any sentence, and he actually had to take a step back before he could start to think straight. "Did you just sacrifice your life for me?" he then asked.

Sam only shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, you know, as if dying was a weekly hobby for him. "I love you," he said as an answer, and all air escaped Dean's lungs, because nobody had said that to him in a very long time. His mother had when she was still alive, but after a while it sounded hollow, as if she was obligated to say it instead of meaning it. Now, with Sam, it sounded true, real.

"Oh!" a voice then suddenly said next to them. Dean turned his head, only to see Garth standing there, clapping his hands and laughing. "An act of true love can thaw a frozen heart!" he yelled, sounding even more happy than Dean was, which was almost impossible because Dean suddenly felt like the happiest person in the world.

"I need some help over here!" that girl's voice from earlier suddenly yelled, and this time Dean bothered to look who it was.

And that made that happiness from earlier slide back away.

He saw Jessica, Castiel and a reindeer there, but there seemed to be something wrong with Cas. He was now sitting on the ground, head almost hanging lifelessly. Jess was trying to keep him up, but Cas seemed to have lost all strength.

"Cas!" Dean then yelled, letting go of Sam and running to the man who was starting to turn a little blue. The closer Dean got, the more the shaking and shivering became visible. Castiel was cold, very cold, and if he didn't warm up soon enough, he would die. "No no no, Cas!"

Dean kneeled in front of him, putting his hands on the man's face to make him look at him. Castiel's blue eyes opened, and a small smile formed on his lips.

"Hello, Dean," he said, managing to lift one hand to cup Dean's cheek as well. His eyes showed a lot of emotions, but Dean couldn't figure out which ones. "I'm glad you're here."

"What happened, Cas?" Dean asked, tearing up again. All the bliss of Sam's survival had dripped away as he saw the man he cared about slowly dying in his arms.

"I fell into the water," was the answer Castiel gave him. Then the man started coughing. It was an awful sound and Dean never wanted to hear it again.

"Don't you die on me, Cas," Dean said, putting his forehead against Cas's, and trying to reach the power within him to absorb all the cold that was in Castiel's body. But he simply didn't know how to. He tried, and tried, but nothing happened.

"Dean, I just need to tell you something," Castiel said, now stroking Dean's face. Dean nodded, biting his lips as the man in front of him gestured him to come closer. Dean leaned forward until Castiel's mouth was against his ear, and then he was waiting for him to talk.

"I love you," Castiel said, and that left Dean even more breathless. Because he knew this was a whole different kind of love. This wasn't a love for a family-member. This was actually _love_ love. The romantic kind of love Dean never thought he could ever have.

And then it appeared he had it all along.

Castiel then pressed his cold lips softly against Dean's, kissing him gently as he was using up the last of his strength to keep his arm up. After that, he got too tired. He ended the kiss, dropped back and let out a hard breath.

And that feeling that Dean had deep inside, that was completely new. It felt good, strong, and strangely enough even conquered all the fear he had inside of him. Without thinking about it, he pressed his hand against Castiel's chest, closed his eyes, and started reaching out, this time not with the fear but with his heart, with the love he felt for this man. Because it was true, he loved Cas. He loved him so much it actually hurt all the time not being with him.

Dean felt every little bit of cold that was in Castiel's body. Unknowingly, he had located every little bit, and he closed his eyes to concentrate on taking a hold of them. Nobody said a thing, as if they all knew what he was doing.

And it worked. He had the cold in his grasp, every last bit of it, and now it was only a matter of removing it. He magnified his concentration, curled his fingers against Castiel's chest.

Castiel's breath was suddenly shaking, but finally his skin got from blue back to normal. His closed eyes were suddenly open again, and then he choked, sitting up straight and grabbing whatever was in front of him – which turned out to be Dean of course.

"Dean!" he then yelled with all strength back in his low voice as he looked at his lover with surprise in his eyes. All Dean could do was laugh at what he had achieved. He had actually absorbed all the cold from Cas's body, taking it all out and now currently holding it in his hands in the form of a snowball. Both men looked at it for a moment before Dean threw it behind him and grabbed Castiel's coat instead. He ignored the audience as he started kissing Castiel again. Because after all those years, it still felt as perfect as he had always thought.

When Sam coughed next to him, Dean pulled back, a smile still present on his face as both men stood up, eyes not letting go of each other at first, until Jessica took Castiel in a big hug. That moment, Dean turned to Sam.

"Eh, Dean, the winter?" Sam asked with a knowing expression. And he was right. With just the correct emotion, Dean had done something with his powers he actually wanted. And now he actually thought he could manage to reverse whatever he had done.

Dean took a few steps away, and after a long and deep breath, he raised his hands in the air, looking around him to take in the winter landscape he had created. _It has to go_, he thought, and this time his powers listened to him. Because he wasn't feeding it with fear anymore. The answer had been in front of him all along; it was love. It was being loved, having a family, and feeling safe with them. It was the promise to protect them, to help then through difficult times. Now, Dean wasn't really one who would admit to love easily, but in this case, he could make an exception.

Sam, Castiel, Jess, the reindeer and Garth all gasped in surprise when the snow around them started to melt. It all happened slowly, but still, after a minute or two, the sky was clearer, the ice they were standing on became thinner and-

Oh, wait.

"Guys, get over here, because if you stay there you will fall in the water," Dean said, grinning. The others complied and came to stand around him. Nobody dared to say a thing, and then, out from under them, a ship rose up. Dean didn't really know how it got underwater, nor did he really care at the moment, because it was convenient. The others were safe, and that made Dean continue his current mission.

He couldn't see it happening, but he knew that in the Kingdom the green suddenly started to show again. He felt it in the ice and the snow that was disappearing. The castle was removed of all the spikes of ice, every lake and fountain heated up again, and Dean saw every little fragment of snow that wasn't melting immediately coming up to him, circling above his head where his hands were pointing.

It was only when he was absolutely sure that everything was gone that he spread his arms. The snow formed one big ice-crystal above him, and then it exploded like firework. And after that, everything was gone. The forests were normal again, the village was safe, and the water was once again just water. Every bit of snow was now gone.

Which meant… oh.

Dean turned around to see a smiling Garth sitting there. He was already dripping, his nose falling down again. The snowman started waving to everybody.

"This might be the best day of my life," he said as if he didn't know what was happening to him. But then he added "and probably the last."

Dean smirked and shook his head. Out of reflex he reached out his hand, and Garth was building up again, the water that had dripped on the deck becoming snow and adding itself to Garth's layers. Then, above Garth's head a little cloud appeared. Dean didn't know how he was doing it, but he just did. The cloud was cold, and snow was falling out from it, making it possible for Garth to walk around with his personal winter everywhere.

"Wow, thanks Dean!" Garth then said, looking up and admiring his cloud. He started walking around to see how it followed him, and it made him giggle. Before Dean knew it, cold snow started hugging him. Dean wasn't really comfortable with it, but he allowed Garth this last thing. After Garth retreated to start running around, Dean chuckled and scratched his neck.

"I knew you could do it, Dean," Sam said with a proud voice. That actually made Dean blush, and he looked down, not really wanting to see the faces that were looking at him in pride.

It was when Ruby's groaning came out that everybody turned around to the source of the voice. They saw that Ruby had been lying between the boxes. With a little effort, she put herself up, standing straight. Both Sam and Dean were starting to walk to her with their hands balled in fists and anger steaming out of their ears, but Jessica stopped them, looking at them with a smug look on her face.

"Please, let me," she said. And she was right because despite everything Ruby had done, it was still wrong to hit a woman. So, they both held back, Sam crossing his arms and Dean looking at the young woman in surprise as she walked up to Ruby.

Ruby saw Sam standing first, and all color in her face disappeared for a moment. She took a small step back, and her hand held on the deck to keep her up.

"Sam? That's not possible," Ruby stuttered. "Your heart was frozen!"

Then she noticed Jess walking up to her, she had dropped her cape, removed her gloves and rolled up her sleeves. When she was standing in front of her, she raised her head a little bit, despite her being taller than the Princess.

"The only frozen heart around here is yours," Jess said, turning around again. And wait, that was it? She wasn't going to hit her or something? Even Ruby seemed a little bit surprised, but then she looked at Jess with a murderous glare. As soon as she moved, Jess had turned around once more, facing Ruby, and her fist was faster than anybody knew. They hadn't seen it move, but one moment Ruby was standing on the deck, the other she received a punch on the face and she fell over from the deck, landing into the water.

Sam cheered enthusiastically, raising a fist in the air and actually screaming it out. The reindeer was laughing as well, ran up to the girl and started pushing her in the back so she was standing in front of Sam. Then her cheeks colored pink, and Sam too turned his head in embarrassment. Oh, these two hadn't changed at all, all blushy and ashamed from the moment they met each other. But at least, things now were back to normal.

Meaning that he could search for Castiel's stare. And when he found it, a wonderful and strange sensation formed in his stomach, and he smiled. Castiel smiled as well, and when he reached out his hand, Dean took it.

Because now he wasn't afraid anymore, and they could finally build something.

* * *

Moondor in the summer was something Sam never thought to be so beautiful. Of course, before all happened, it was normal, mainly sunny and grass and animals and stuff. But now, knowing what danger they had been with the winter, suddenly summer was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

The people of Moondor had accepted Dean back, all thankful of saving them. The fact that he had been the cause of it all was nicely forgotten. They let out Bobby and Rufus from prison, and both boys had received a hug from the old family friend, along with a promise that he would stick around more because family mattered. Jo and Ellen, who had been giving out soup and food during the winter, had hugged the brothers as soon as they returned. Ellen had even cried a little bit, saying that it all was going to be alright again. And she was right. If it depended on the brothers, everything was going to be like it was supposed to.

That meant that those gates had to open.

Dean didn't even hesitate about it. As soon as Sam came up with the idea, the King nodded with a smile on his face. He had been standing in the throne room, just finished with a speech for the people of Moondor with his deepest apologies. It was a truly beautiful sight to see his brother sit on that throne, a little bit uneasy but obviously meant to be there. And as soon as Sam had asked his question, the people had been muttering against each other, all of them asking questions about what the Prince was suggesting.

"We are never closing them again," Dean had said, and at that the whole audience had started cheering. Everybody was standing up and clapping their hands. Some of the kids were jumping up and down. A few couples were kissing each other from joy. It was truly a wonderful sensation to see how his brother was, despite everything, still loved by his people.

Ruby, Crowley and their two henchmen had been put behind bars as soon as they got off the ship. As it turned out, the Duke had been working together with the Princess, working out their plan to get everybody angry. They wanted the people to be against their King so it was easier for them to accept that he had to be executed. The hours they had spent in questioning them had felt like forever. Sam and Dean both had been present, but hadn't spoken at the request of the guard. After a while Dean left the room, and when he said he just got bored, Sam knew it was just too hard for him to stay in there.

The thing between his brother and Castiel was another thing Sam didn't want to know much about right now. The first evening back home Sam had urged that the two talked their things out; that they accepted their actions from the past and that they moved on. The next day, at the end of Dean's apology-speech, he had announced that, if the people were okay with him being romantically involved with another man, he would gladly remain King of Moondor and this time act out on his position by truly protecting his Kingdom from any danger. Nobody had objected, and one kid had squealed as soon as she heard that Dean confessed he had a lover. Castiel wasn't introduced just yet – he had insisted that the public first needed to get used to Dean on the throne before Cas would be added to the current Royal Family. Bobby had agreed on this, and so Dean let out Cas's name for now.

The second day of their return the brothers both finally went to their parent's tombstone together, where Dean could, finally after all this time, say goodbye to his parents. He hadn't cried, but he had been very silent, keeping his hands on both stones and closing his eyes. When he walked away again, Sam had seen two bouquets of frozen flowers lying on the grass. That actually made him tear up a little bit.

So far, he and Jessica hadn't had time to work things out. They hadn't seen each other a lot lately since Sam had been busy in the castle. Preparations had to be set, and since Dean was busy with ruling the Kingdom, the task of organizing this last party had landed on his shoulders. Of course he didn't mind at all. He was actually happy that he could help out like this; that his brother trusted him with this task.

Now and then he caught a glimpse of Jess walking around in Moondor. She had been helping around too, lending a hand in rebuilding eventual broken houses, giving away food to people who needed it. And later on she actually went back to the orphanage to help out there as well. All in all, Sam hadn't seen much of her lately, but it was alright. They still had time.

When the people of Helleth's Gates were sent back to where they came from, a guard had guaranteed that they would pass on to Queen Lilith what they had been up to. How she reacted on it wasn't any of their concern. Without even willing to say one last goodbye at Ruby, Sam watched the ship sail away, hoping never to see those four people again.

The visitors from the other Kingdoms had stayed so far, residing in the castle's guest rooms – except for the people of the Enchanted Forests; they remained in the woods where they probably build their own houses with twigs and branches or whatever. Sam didn't really want to think about it.

But speaking of the Enchanted Forests, Sam had searched for their Queen, and as soon as he found her, he told her Gabriel's story. The woman had only laughed, but agreed to turn the reindeer back to his normal self. They had called out for Gabriel who had come immediately after hearing the news, and the spell didn't take very long. Queen Pamela had whispered a few words against his ears, held out her hand against his head, and told him then that when he woke up the next day, he would be back to his true self. She didn't lie.

On the third day it was party-time. All preparations were finished, all invitations given away, and the gates were now permanently open. The first visitor seemed a little bit unsure, hesitating on whether to come in or not. As soon as more of them arrived, things went a little steadier. Dean had been there all the time, talking to everybody who addressed him. He bowed back when people bowed to him, even though he hated that. He listened to every suggestion and idea that was told to him. And the best thing of all; he was smiling.

Sam had never really seen that smile a lot.

Next to seeing his brother so happy, Sam had also been looking forward to something else. He had a surprise for both Castiel and Jess, and he couldn't wait to give it to them.

Normally he would have liked to blindfold them or whatever, but as it was difficult already to guide one person who couldn't see, he didn't dare to try it with both of them.

So as soon as Sam found the two talking a little further away from Dean, he took a deep breath and walked up to them. Jessica was the first to notice him, and she waved. After that, Castiel greeted him to, and both of them were looking at him with a friendly expression. Well, they would definitely _love_ this surprise he had gotten prepared for them.

"Okay, so I got something for you guys," he said, clapping his hands together and trying to keep a neutral face. He barely succeeded and figured he did best to turn around now. The two of them were smart enough to understand that they had to follow him.

Sam walked all the way back to the gates, and only waiting right in front of it until the two had caught up. They didn't speak, but Sam knew how curious the two were. He could feel it coming off of them and it almost made him want to laugh.

"When you walk through the gates, turn to your left," Sam said, stepping back in an indication for the two of them to continue. With eyebrows raised on Jess's part and a frown on the face of Castiel, the two made their move through the gates and as instructed, they turned left.

And their reactions were hilarious. While Castiel seemed on the verge of passing out, Jess simply couldn't move. Both their mouths had dropped open, both of them were staring.

"I promised I would give you guys a new one?" Sam said as soon as he had joined them. Castiel only hummed his agreement, but Jess remained silent. In front of them was a brand new sled, and it hadn't been a cheap one either.

"We can't accept this," was the first thing Jess said since arriving here. Castiel was slowly walking to the sled, his hands stroking the wood – which had probably been the most expensive part of the whole thing, but Sam didn't know anything about these kind of things so he couldn't really confirm that – and walking around it to take it in completely.

"Yes you can," Sam said, crossing his arms. "You have to, no exchanges!" Then he held out a finger and putting it in front of Jess's face to get her attention. She turned her head around and finally looked at him. "The King had named you Moondor's official Icemasters and deliverers!" he added.

"What? That's not even a real thing," Jess said with a smug look on her face. Sam rolled his eyes and waved his hand.

"Sure it is," he said, chuckling and then biting his lip when he saw Jess blush. "Do you like it?" he then asked.

"Like it?" Jess exclaimed. "I love it!" At that declaration, she was suddenly hugging Sam; pressing her face against his chest and actually snuggling closer to him. "I could kiss you right now!" When she seemed to realize what she had just done and said, she suddenly jerked away, face now completely red. "I could, I mean, I'd like to, I mean, may I? We me? I mean, may we? Wait, what?" she was babbling, and suddenly she grimaced at realizing that. Sam chuckled once again and leaned down to press his lips against her red cheek.

"We may," he then whispered in her ear, earning him a full giggle coming out of Jess's mouth. She then wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him down for another kiss, this time sealing their lips together.

It was only when Castiel started whistling after them that they realized they weren't alone. Still, they didn't stop the kiss. Jess made a, probably, rude movement with her hand to wave him off, and after that they continued for a little while.

As soon as the three of them rejoined the party, Jess was not to be pulled away from Sam's side. They were holding hands, smiling at each other, and even trying out new food. Jess had not-so-accidentally smeared pudding all over Sam's face, making him roll his eyes and then press his cheek against hers to put it on her face too. Things like that happened a lot more after, and the people of Moondor all laughed at the display.

Dean had offered to turn the plaza into an ice-skating course, and everybody enthusiastically agreed to it. Without much trouble now, Dean slammed his foot on the ground, causing the ice to spread all around them. Under everybody's feet there were suddenly skates made of thick ice that wouldn't break. Most people were already moving forward. Children were holding each other's hand so as not to fall. Jess did the same with Sam, and both of them were racing around. Sam looked for his brother for a few times, and every time he was talking to somebody else. One time he was even holding hands with a little child who was unsteady on the skates and needed the support. At that, Sam caught Castiel looking with a wanting look, and he knew exactly what the man was thinking.

Gabriel was teasing around, mostly with Garth. He sometimes randomly pulled of the snowman's head and started throwing with it at other people. They mostly screamed in fright, but eventually laughed with it as well. Other times he only stole Garth's nose, and pretended that he going to eat it. The snowman always pouted at that, but eventually in the end he offered him one of his warm hugs, much to Gabriel's surprise.

When Dean and Castiel finally stood back together, Sam saw Dean holding out his hands at Castiel. And what was even better was that Castiel put his in Dean's. Together the two started ice-skating as well, eyes not leaving each other. The people of Moondor shot them knowing looks, but didn't disapprove of it. Some of the girls even shrieked at seeing who the King's mysterious lover was.

All in all, things were good again. No, things were perfect. The gates were open, Sam had found the woman he wanted to spend his life with, and Dean was happy as well. Things were only looking up now.

And as for Chuck? Ah well, he had returned to the trolls safely, and was now doing his very best to ignore the Trolls that were partying as well.

* * *

_Yes, it's practically the end._  
_But there will be an epilogue!_  
_Right now I'm very tired, so I will make one big thank you-post in tomorrow's chapter! Goodnight everyone._


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Questions and Answers**

**Three Years Later**

**M**oondor was known as one of the brightest Kingdoms of them all. The economy went perfectly, the social contacts with other Kingdoms was impeccable, and the citizens all loved each other.

Dean Winchester had been King for three years now. It suited him well. He was the perfect leader; could keep his cool, knew how to make the right decisions, was friendly, and cared about others.

The fact that he had the powers to create ice from his hands wasn't something people discussed. Not because he was ashamed of it, but simply because he didn't want people to fear him. He wanted to be a King people could look up to. A King people could talk to whenever they had trouble.

But Dean had to admit that this all hadn't been possible if it weren't for his friends. Firstly there was Sam who acted like his conscious most of the time, leading him to the right choices. That was mostly because Sam had a better vision of things, was more open-minded.

Jess was someone who cared for Dean too. After she and Sam got married one year ago, and she officially got the title of Princess, she had been going to parties and stuff that had been happening in other Kingdoms. She was as popular now as well.

She was also currently carrying Sam's child, and the two were inseparable, always holding each other's hands and giving each other loving looks. If Dean wasn't so proud of his little brother, he would have gagged of it by now.

But the person who made him the King he was today was, and would always be Castiel.

For three years they had been together now, officially. One month after the Winter-disaster, Castiel had agreed that the people were ready to meet him. And he was welcomed by them positively. People had walked up to him and congratulated him. Girls had been crying and hugging him – strangely so. Dean was happy that his Kingdom had accepted him, and the fact that they were together.

They didn't really rub it in everybody's faces. When they were alone, then sure, they couldn't keep their hands off each other, sometimes kissing, sometimes just holding hands or just simply touching. But then, as soon as anybody else was in the room, they reduced their displays of affection. Not because they were ashamed, but just because both weren't those kind of people. They could share looks with each other, but it wouldn't go further than that.

Right now it was officially winter – not created by Dean in any way. Dean had been holding audiences all the day long, but he didn't mind it. He enjoyed communicating with his people, hear their opinions of things. That was something that made him a good King because, despite that he himself didn't show how he was feeling – a nasty habit that had stuck to him – he was prepared to listen to others. Castiel had often admired that about him.

But now the people were back home; it was getting dark earlier now, and Dean had felt that there was snow on the way (yeah, that was something he could do now), so they had all prepared themselves for the weather and left early. Dean on the other hand remained here. And to add to that, he was silently freaking out.

This time though, he wasn't afraid of losing his control. That was something he hadn't done since then. He was perfectly capable of keeping his powers in, when he was sad, angry, scared or nervous. And that came in handy now because he was freaking out in here.

Because it was too soon, right? Okay yeah, it had been a while now, but still, it had to be too soon? Maybe Dean was making a mistake here, on the verge of ruining everything?

His hands reached for his head, and he took off his crown – yes, the same crown he had thrown out of that window. Somebody had found it and returned it back to him. He had thanked the man, offered him a reward, which the man had denied. That had made Dean realize that his people were maybe crazy for taking him back in their community without any hesitation, but still the most thankful of them all. He couldn't have wished any better.

When he had put the crown back on the throne, he heard a door shriek open. He was glad that noise was there to warn him or he would have been surprised by Cas's sudden appearance once again. The guy was freakishly quiet!

When Dean saw him walk in, he smiled. Castiel looked good. He wasn't wearing his worn out clothes anymore. He had enough money to buy decent things in the shops at the village now, and now he looked like he could be a Prince himself. That made Dean feel all warm inside.

"Dean, you called me, what's wrong?" Castiel asked, walking towards the King with a questioning look on his face. When they stood right in front of each other, Castiel stopped, keeping quiet and waiting for Dean to start talking.

"Well, I, eh," Dean began, turning his head away and rubbing his neck now. "Okay, this isn't easy so give me just a little moment," he then said, feeling embarrassed. He didn't dare to meet Castiel's gaze just yet, and he knew he was giving him a wrong impression at the moment.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Castiel asked, suddenly touching Dean's cheek, causing the King to finally look up at him. He swallowed loudly, and then let out a shaky breath.

"I'm fine, Cas, I just need to ask you something," Dean said, leaning in a little bit into Castiel's touch before looking down again, seeing his right hand grab Castiel's left one.

"Okay, I'll listen," Cas said, obviously thinking something was wrong. Dean needed to take care of this before it got out of hand.

"This thing that we have, this… relationship," Dean began, hating the word relationship but not knowing how to call it else. "We had this for a long time now, haven't we?"

"Well no, we were together for one year, then you broke up with me, and then we picked it up again three years later," Castiel said dryly, frowning. "Is there something wrong between us?"

"No! No no no, of course not," Dean said hastily. "We're perfect, I mean, that's just it. This is _it_."

"_It_?"

"For me, you are _it_, Cas," Dean said in a whisper, knowing that his cheeks were colored red from shame. He hated confessing his feelings, but this time he needed to do it.

"And you are it for me, Dean," Castiel said, removing his hand from Dean's cheek to join it with their handholding. "That isn't gonna change, ever."

"Then marry me," Dean flopped out before realizing what he said. He pressed his lips against each other, threw his head back and groaned. "That wasn't supposed to come out like that. I'm sorry, just forget I-"

Castiel was kissing him to shut him up, not letting go very quickly. When he pulled back, he looked at Dean with adoration.

"I will marry you," he said, smiling his teeth bare. Then he kissed Dean again, and again, and again, and after a few minutes they stopped, but kept their foreheads pressed against each other.

"Well, okay, this went better than I had expected," Dean said, smiling. Castiel began laughing, but didn't let him go.

Because things were how they were supposed to be now. Because this time, their life was good, and nothing was going to ruin that for them. Not if Dean had any say in it.

And in the end, they all lived happily ever after, because we all know everybody deserves a happy ending now, don't we?

**The End**

* * *

This is it people. The story is now officially over. There is a PDF of this available, you'll find it on my tumblr: tagged/pdfBTFH

Goodbye and hugs to you all.


End file.
